3  =1153  D13mDfl' 


GAYLORD  RG 


Zbc  fRobern  l^eaber'a  JSible 


Wisdom  Series 


Ecclesiasticus 


«^ 


THE  MODERN  READER'S  BIBLE       Y\Q^ 

A  SERIES  OF  WORKS  FROM  THE  SACRED  SCRIPTURES  PRESENTED      ?.  • 

IN  MODERN   LITERARY  FORM  »  \   \  V--' 


\W> 


ECCLESIASTICUS 


EDITED,  WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  AND  NOTES 

BY 

RICHARD  G.  MOULTON,  M.A.  (Camb.),  Ph.D.  (Penn.) 

Professor  of  Literature  in  English  in  the 
University  of  Chicago 


MACMILLAN    AND    CO. 

LONDON :  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1896 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1896, 
By  MACMILLAN  AND  CO. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped  January,  1896.     Reprinted 
February,  1896;  May,  1896. 


J.  8.  Cashing  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith 
Norwood  Mass.  U.S.A. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  series  of  books  popularly  known  as  the  Apocrypha 
have  been  by  an  eminent  scholar  aptly  styled  Zwische7i~ 
schriften  or  Intermediate  Writings.  To  none  of  them 
does  the  term  Intermediate  apply  with  so  much  fulness  as 
to  that  which  is  the  subject  of  the  present  volume.  Like 
the  rest  of  the  Apocrypha,  Ecclesiastiais  stands  between 
the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  Like  the  whole  of  the 
Books  of  Wisdom,  it  is  intermediate  between  sacred  and 
secular  literature.  In  common  with  two  other  of  these 
wisdom  books  it  mediates  between  purely  Jewish  thought 
and  the  spirit  of  the  external  world  by  which  this  was 
gradually  leavened  ;  and  in  the  case  of  Ecclesiasticus  what 
there  is  of  external  influence  is,  on  the  explicit  authority 
of  the  Preface,  to  be  put  down  to  that  Alexandrian  literary 
circle  which  was  the  great  link  between  Oriental  and 
Western,  between  Ancient  and  Modern.  In  a  yet  more 
important  sense  the  word  has  application  :  so  far  as  Bibli- 
cal Philosophy  can  be  presented  as  a  thing  of  develop- 
ment, Ecclesiasticus  holds  in  that  development  a  middle 
place.     The  Book  of  Proverbs  is  a  series  of  isolated  obser- 


■^  Introduction 

vations  of  iife,  universal  wisdom  being  not  analysed  but 
adored.  On  the  contrary  Ecclesiastes  and  Wisdom^  from 
however  varied  standpoints,  agree  in  turning  reflection  on 
to  the  universe  as  a  whole.  Unlike  these,  the  Book  of 
Ecclesiasticus  makes  no  attempt  to  investigate  universal 
problems  ;  its  matter,  apart  from  the  hymns  to  Wisdom,  is, 
like  that  of  Proverbs,  addressed  to  practical  life  ;  its  Greek 
title  makes  it  a  Manual  of  Virtue  or  PanaretoSy  and  a 
modern  historian  has  described  it  as  the  sanctification  of 
common  sense.  But,  unlike  Proverbs,  its  observations  are 
not  isolated,  but  digested  into  wider  though  still  frag- 
mentary surveys.  The  inquisitive  spirit  no  longer  satis- 
fies ;  systematisation  has  not  yet  begun ;  between  comes 
the  arrangement  of  material  under  headings  —  like  the 
^  topics  '  of  the  Aristotelian  system  —  which  is  distinctly 
a  middle  stage  in  philosophic  advance. 

Here  however  a  misunderstanding  is  to  be  avoided. 
To  discuss  the  relation  of  this  book  to  others  as  regards 
the  development  of  the  thought  reflected  in  them  is  by  no 
means  the  same  thing  as  settling  the  chronological  order 
in  which  the  books  were  composed.  The  personal  refer- 
ences in  Ecclesiasticus  are  so  distinct  as  to  enable  scholars, 
with  practical  unanimity,  to  fix  the  date  of  its  composition 
as  about  200  B.C.  The  decision  of  a  date  for  Ecclesiastes 
is  a  locus  classicus  for  disagreeing  doctors  ;  opinion  on 
this  topic  has  ranged  over  a  thousand  years,  from  the  age 
of  Solomon  to  the  age  of  Herod  the  Great.     But  if  the 


Introduction  B'^ 

earliest  date  possible  be  taken  for  Ecclesiastes^  this  will 
not  prevent  its  representing  a  later  stage  of  philosophic 
thought  than  the  other.  The  earlier  stages  of  literary 
thought  and  form  do  not  disappear  when  later  stages  take 
their  rise  ;  the  two  go  on  together  side  by  side,  each  calling 
forth  fresh  representatives,  just  as  the  invaders  of  a  coun- 
try and  the  original  inhabitants  may  settle  down  in  it 
together.  If  Ecclesiastes  be  early  and  Ecclesiasticus  late, 
this  merely  implies  that  the  son  of  Sirach  did  not  adopt 
the  philosophic  position  of  his  predecessor,  but  remained 
in  touch  with  the  still  earlier  thought  from  which  the 
Preacher  had  made  his  divergence. 

The  enlarged  thought  needs  new  forms  for  its  expres- 
sion ;  poetic  forms  had  sufficed  for  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastiais 
supplements  these  with  a  literature  of  prose.  I  desire  to 
be  the  more  explicit  in  my  explanation  at  this  point,  be- 
cause I  have  departed  very  widely  from  previous  editions 
in  the  form  which  the  book  presents  to  the  eye.  Hebrew 
verse  depends,  not  upon  mechanical  matters  such  as 
rhymes  or  the  numbering  of  syllables,  but  upon  the  par- 
allelism of  clauses.  But  this  parallelism  of  clauses  is,  in 
universal  literature,  a  feature  of  rhetoric.  If  then  a  lan- 
guage bases  its  verse  system  upon  something  which  also 
belongs  to  prose,  it  is  inevitable  that  in  that  language 
we  should  find  an  overlapping  of  verse  and  prose.  The 
extreme  of  poetry  and  the  extreme  of  prose  will  be  as 
far  apart  in  Hebrew  as  in  other  languages.      But  there 

vii 


-^  Introduction 

will  come  a  point  at  which  the  parallelism  of  rhetoric  and 
the  parallelism  of  verse  will  approach  very  near  to  one 
another;  to  discriminate  them  will  involve  examining, 
not  only  the  collocation  of  clauses,  but  also  the  general 
drift  and  spirit  of  the  whole.  This  discrimination  I  have 
endeavoured  to  make.  The  reader  who  is  astonished  to 
find  long  successions  of  prose  in  a  book  he  has  been 
accustomed  to  see  wholly  in  the  form  of  verse  must  not 
suppose  I  am  throwing  over  the  authority  of  previous 
editors.  All  that  other  editions  have  implied  by  the 
breaking  up  into  lines  is  the  parallelism  of  clauses,  which 
is  an  unquestionable  fact.  But  I  have  gone  a  step  further, 
and  endeavoured  to  distinguish  the  rhetoric  parallelism 
from  the  poetic  parallelism,  clothing  each  with  the  outer 
form  in  which  it  is  familiar  to  the  modern  reader. 

It  must  occur  to  any  student  that  the  usual  arrange- 
ment of  Ecclesiasticiis  puts  a  severe  strain  upon  our  sense 
of  form.  I  instance  such  a  passage  as  the  following,  cited 
as  it  appears  in  the  Revised  Version. 

And  Phinehas,  the  son  of  Eleazar,  is  the  third  in  glory, 

In  that  he  was  zealous  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 

And  stood  fast  in  the  good  forwardness  of  his  soul  when  the  people 

turned  away, 
And  he  made  reconciliation  for  Israel. 

Therefore  was  there  a  covenant  of  peace  established  for  him, 
That  he  should  be  leader  of  the  saints  and  of  his  people ; 
That  he  and  his  seed 

via 


Introduction  B^ 

Should  have  the  dignity  of  the  priesthood  for  ever. 

Also  he  made  a  covenant  with  David  the  son  of  Jesse,  of  the  tribe 

of  Judah ; 
The  inheritance  of  the  king  is  his  alone  from  son  to  son ; 
So  the  inheritance  of  Aaron  is  also  unto  his  seed. 

This  is  not  parallelism  at  all,  but  straightforward  prose 
cut  up  into  lengths.  In  the  next  passage  there  is  parallel- 
ism, but  such  as  will  appear  in  any  writer  of  rhetoric 
prose. 

With  a  holy  garment,  with  gold  and  blue  and  purple,  the  work  of 

the  embroiderer, 
With  an  oracle  of  judgement,  even  with  the  Urim  and  Thummim; 
With  twisted  scarlet,  the  work  of  the  craftsman ; 
With  precious  stones  graven  like  a  signet,  in  a  setting  of  gold,  the 

work  of  the  jeweller. 
For  a  memorial  engraved  in  writing,  after  the  number  of  the  tribes 

of  Israel ; 
With  a  crown  of  gold  upon  the  mitre,  having  graven  on  it,  as  on  a 

signet.  Holiness. 

I  am  persuaded  that  neither  of  these  passages  would  have 
been  supposed  verse  except  through  a  preconceived  idea 
that  Ecclesiasticus  must  be  understood  to  be  all  verse  or 
all  prose.  On  the  other  hand,  the  parallelism  of  con- 
tiguous clauses  (as  distinguished  from  the  high  parallelism 
that  links  together  clauses  widely  separated)  belongs  to 
rhetoric  style  in  all  languages.  No  one  doubts  that  our 
Microcosmography   is    prose ;    yet    (notwithstanding   the 


^^  Introduction 

greater  difFuseness  of  English  as  compared  with  Hebrew) 
great  part  of  it  might  be  printed  in  lines  that  would  have 
as  good  a  claim  to  parallelism  as  many  parts  oi  Ecclesi- 
asticus.     Thus,  of  the  Alderman  : 

You  must  look  on  him  as  one  of  the  town  gates, 

And  consider  him  not  as  a  body,  but  a  corporation. 

His  eminency  above  others  hath  made  him  a  man  of  worship, 

For  he  had  never  been  preferred  but  that  he  was  worth  thousands. 

He  oversees  the  commonweahh  as  his  shop. 

And  it  is  an  argument  of  his  policy  that  he  has  thriven  by  his 

craft.  .  .  . 
He  is  the  highest  stair  of  his  profession. 

And  an  example  to  his  trade  what  in  time  they  may  come  to. 
He  makes  very  much  of  his  authority,  but  more  of  his  satin  doublet, 
Which,  though  of  good  years,  bears  its  age  very  well, 
And  looks  fresh  every  Sunday ; 
But  his  scarlet  gown  is  a  monument, 
And  lasts  from  generation  to  generation. 

My  arginiient  is,  I  repeat,  that,  in  view  of  the  overlapping 
of  verse  and  prose,  the  classification  of  Hebrew  composi- 
tions must  depend  upon  wider  literary  considerations  than 
the  mere  coordination  of  clauses.  Such  wider  examina- 
tion will  no  doubt  involve  difference  of  opinion ;  but  the 
general  principle  will  be  clear  that  Wisdom  literature,  rest- 
ing on  a  basis  of  the  gnomic  couplet  v/hich  is  a  meeting 
point  of  prose  and  verse,  develops  in  a  twofold  direction, 
and  as  the  writings  of  the  wise  men  succeed  one  another 


Introduction  S«^ 

there  is  a  tendency  for  rhetoric  to  preponderate  over 
verse.* 

Two  new  forms  then  are  introduced  by  the  son  of 
Sirach  into  Wisdom  literature  —  the  Maxim  and  the 
Essay.  I  use  the  term  Maxim  in  a  definite  sense :  to 
describe  a  saying  which  consists  of  a  proverb  couplet  (or 
occasionally  the  abridgement  of  a  couplet)  followed  by  a 
comment  in  prose.  Sometimes  this  comment  is  of  the 
nature  of  an  elucidation  (I.  Ixi)  : 

The  gift  of  a  fool  shall  not  profit  thee ; 
For  his  eyes  are  many  instead  of  one. 

He  will  give  little  and  upbraid  much,  and  he  will  open  his 
mouth  like  a  crier;  today  he  will  lend,  and  tomorrow  he 
will  ask  it  again :  such  an  one  is  a  hateful  man. 

Here  an  enigmatic  expression,  the  '  many  eyes '  of  a  fool, 
is  interpreted  of  inconstancy.  In  other  cases  the  com- 
ment may  apply  a  general  statement  to  particular  cases ; 
as  in  the  following  (I.  Iviii)  : 

He  that  despiseth  small  things 
Shall  fall  by  little  and  little. 

Wine  and  women  will  make  men  of  understanding  to  fall 
away :  and  he  that  cleaveth  to  harlots  will  be  the  more  reck- 

*  The  whole  subject  of  the  overlapping  in  Biblical  literature  of  verse  and 
prose  is  discussed  in  Chapter  IV.  of  my  Literary  Study  of  the  Bible  (D.  C. 
Heath  &  Co.,  Boston;  Isbister  &  Co.,  London). 

xi 


-5g  Introduction 

less.    Moths  and  worms  shall  have  him  to  heritage ;  and  a 
reckless  soul  shall  be  taken  away. 

Or  the  comment  to  a  maxim  may,  in  the  most  varied  way, 
be  an  enlargement  of  the  text.  It  will  be  seen  that  the 
Maxim  is  the  prose  counterpart  to  the  verse  Epigram  : 
both  consist  of  a  unit  proverb  enlarged  by  comment.*  It 
is  natural  to  find  these  two  forms  abounding  in  works  that 
emanate  from  the  Scribes,  and  from  what  may  fairly  be 
called  the  Age  of  Commentary. 

As  the  Maxim  is  the  counterpart  of  the  Epigram,  so  is 
the  Essay  of  the  Sonnet.  The  two  involve,  in  their  re- 
spective spheres  of  Prose  and  Poetry,  an  aggregation  of 
thoughts  with  no  necessary  bond  beyond  the  common 
theme.  To  the  ode  or  epic,  to  the  sermon  or  speech,  a 
title  is  a  superfluity :  to  a  sonnet  or  essay  its  title  repre- 
sents the  very  soul  of  the  composition,  binding  its  scattered 
thoughts  into  a  unity.  The  Sonnet  gives  to  such  a  cluster 
of  thoughts  the  attraction  of  poetic  elaboration  ;  the  Essay, 
on  the  contrary,  has  the  free  flow  of  rhetoric  style.  It  is  a 
common  feature  of  all  literatures  that  they  begin  with  verse, 
and  afterwards  develop  a  prose  style.  But  it  belongs  to 
Hebrew,  with  its  common  ground  between  verse  and  prose, 
that  this  development  of  prose  should  be  a  gradual  pro- 
gression. The  writings  of  the  son  of  Sirach  exactly  cover 
the  ground   of  this   progression.      Stanley's   picturesque 

*  See  Introduction  to  Proverbs  volume,  page  xxii. 
xii 


Introduction  ^ 

description  of  his  style  —  the  closed  hand  of  the  Hebrew 
proverb  changing  into  the  open  palm  of  Greek  rhetoric — 
may  or  may  not  be  accurate  as  regards  the  degree  of  Greek 
influence,  but  it  admirably  describes  the  transitional  style. 
I  have  traced  elsewhere*  the  evolution  of  the  Wisdom  Essay 
out  of  the  gnomic  sentence,  with  the  Proverb  Cluster  as  a 
transitional  stage,  while  compositions  that  must  be  called 
essays  still  present  very  different  degrees  of  gnomic  stiff- 
ness. It  may  here  be  added,  that  the  essays  of  Ecdesias- 
tinis  shew  a  yet  further  development :  as  between  what 
may  be  called  the  Inorganic  Essay — the  mere  cluster  of 
thoughts  familiar  to  us  in  Feltham's  Resolves  or  the  Micro- 
cosmography  —  and  the  commencement  of  an  organic  style, 
in  Vv'hich  the  more  ordered  thought  should  have  the  exter- 
nal representation  of  paragraphs.  One  more  literary  form 
has  to  be  mentioned.  The  Essay,  like  the  Sonnet,  par- 
takes in  the  double  function  of  Wisdom  literature  —  to 
celebrate  wisdom  as  well  as  to  present  wise  thoughts. 
Hence  we  find  in  this  work  Rhetoric  Encomia,  which  may 
fairly  be  described  as  prose  hymns. 

Literar)'^  forms  such  as  these  contain  the  matter  of  Eccle- 
siasticiis,  which  is  thus,  like  Proverbs,  a  Miscellany  of 
Wisdom.  But  it  has  another  difference  of  form  from  its 
predecessor.  Proverbs  was  an  anthology  of  anthologies  : 
no  less  than  five  distinct  collections  put  together  by  an 
unknown  editor.     The  book  under  discussion  is  the  work 

*  See  above,  note  to  page  xi. 
xiii 


•^  Introduction 

of  a  single  editor,  who  names  himself,  and  keeps  his  per- 
sonality constantly  before  his  readers.  Indeed,  this  out- 
breaking of  the  personality  of  the  author  from  time  to 
time  has  the  effect  of  dividing  the  whole  into  distinct 
divisions  or  books :  a  thing  which  seems  to  have  been 
overlooked  by  editors  of  Ecclesiasticiis  in  their  discussions 
of  the  divisions  of  the  work.*  At  the  end  of  chapter 
twenty-three  —  that  is,  after  an  amount  of  matter  almost  as 
long  as  the  whole  Book  of  Proverbs  —  the  author  speaks 
to  announce  that  Wisdom  shall  praise  herself.  There  fol- 
lows the  poetic  monologue  which  is  parallel  to  the  great 
monologue  in  P?-overbs.  Then  the  author  again  speaks 
to  connect  this  Wisdom  with  the  Covenant  of  Jehovah, 
and  to  call  her  exhaustlessness  a  great  sea.  From  that 
sea  he  himself  came  out  as  a  stream  from  a  river,  as  a  con- 
duit into  a  garden. 

I  said,  I  will  water  my  garden,  and  will  water  abundantly  my 
garden  bed ;  and,  lo,  my  stream  became  a  river,  and  my  river 
became  a  sea.  I  will  yet  bring  instruction  to  light  as  the 
morning,  and  will  make  these  things  to  shine  forth  afar  off. 

There  is  surely  nothing  in  these  words  of  the  self-exalta- 
tion which  some  editors  have  seen  ;  they  contain  a  modest 

*  Edersheim  (in  Wace's  Commentary)  says  that  Ecclesiasticus  has  five 
parts,  like  the  Law  and  the  Psalter  ;  but  his  five  divisions  are  founded 
upon  analysis  of  matter,  without  reference  to  the  prefatory  interruptions. 
Fritzsche's  sevenfold  division  and  groupings  partly  agree  with  the  arrange- 
ment in  this  v/ork. 

xiv 


Introduction  B^ 

and  felicitous  figure  by  which  it  is  expressed  that  the  au- 
thor's materials  have  grown  upon  him,  and  that  a  second 
book  must  be  added  to  the  first.  Again,  at  xxxiii.  i6  we 
get  another  brief  prefatory  interruption. 

And  I  awaked  up  last,  as  one  that  gleaneth  after  the  grape- 
gatherers:  by  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  I  got  before  them, 
and  filled  my  winepress  as  one  that  gathereth  grapes. 

The  image  is  an  apposite  one  for  what  is  to  be  an  addi- 
tion to  an  addition.  Another  similar  passage  occurs  at 
xxxix.   12. 

Yet  more  will  I  utter  which  I  have  thought  upon ;  and  I 
am  filled  as  the  moon  at  the  full. 

The  full  moon  is  an  appropriate  comparison  for  what  is  in 
reality  the  final  book  of  the  miscellany ;  for  the  fifth  divi- 
sion contains  only  two  lengthy  compositions,  both  of  the 
nature  of  rhetoric  encomia,  and  each  is  announced  sepa- 
rately by  a  few  words  from  the  author.  When  it  is  remem- 
bered how  seldom  the  personal  pronoun  is  used  in  this 
work,  it  becomes  evident  that  these  passages  are  prefaces 
dividing  the  whole  work  into  books. 

With  these  prefatory  notices  to  particular  books  may  be 
compared  another  interesting  passage,  which  is  numbered 
as  chapter  fifty-one  of  the  ordinary  editions.  This  comes 
after  the  work  has  been  brought  by  its  author  to  the  most 
formal  conclusion  possible,  in  what  is,  in  fact,  a  regular 

XV 


^  Introduction 

mediae\'al  colophon ;  anything  following  this  must  be 
either  the  addition  of  some  editor,  or  that  'Author's 
Preface '  which  is  naturally  the  last  thing  written  in  any 
book  that  is  not  a  Tristram  Shandy  or  a  Htidibras.  The 
chapter  has  a  title :  A  Prayer  of  Jesus  the  Son  of  Sirach. 
This,  like  so  many  others  of  the  traditional  titles  in  our 
bibles,  is  the  suggestion  only  of  the  opening  words,  and 
has  little  relevance  to  the  section  as  a  whole.  It  contains 
in  reality  three  paragraphs.  The  first  is  a  recital  in  prayer 
of  the  mercies  of  a  lifetime.  Then  follows  an  autobio- 
graphical paragraph :  how  the  writer  has  searched  for 
wisdom  all  his  life  and  the  Lord  has  granted  it.  The 
third  paragraph  is  an  invitation  to  the  unlearned  to  draw 
near  and  lodge  in  the  house  of  instruction.  The  whole 
spirit  of  this  invitation  is  in  keeping  with  the  prefatory 
passages  noted  above ;  and  one  single  expression  — 
"  Behold  with  yotir  eyes  how  that  I  laboured  but  a  little 
and  found  for  myself  much  rest "  —  is  unintelligible  ex- 
cept in  what  is  introductory  to  a  collection  of  writings. 
I  have  then  thought  it  legitimate  to  transfer  this  to  the 
place  of  an  Author's  Preface. 

Our  result  then  is  that  the  subject  of  this  volume  is  a 
Miscellany  of  Wisdom  literature,  divided  by  an  Author's 
Preface  and  subsequent  prefatory  notices  into  five  books. 
The  number  five  may  just  be  noted  in  passing.  The  Book 
of  Proverbs  is  without  question  disposed  in  five  books. 
We  now  see  that  Ecclesiasticus  has  the  same  number  of 


Introduction  8«- 

divisions.  Interna]  evidence  has  led  me  (as  will  appear 
in  a  subsequent  volume  of  this  series)  to  recognize  five 
essays  in  Ecclesiastes  and  five  discourses  in  Wisdom. 
Again,  the  Book  of  Psalms,  the  collection  and  arrange- 
ment of  which  is  the  work  of  the  wise  men,  is  plainly 
divided  by  doxologies  into  five  books.  It  looks  as  if  the 
number  five  had  a  special  significance  in  Wisdom  litera- 
ture, as  the  number  seven  has  elsewhere. 

The  matter  of  Eccleszastiais,  it  has  already  been  said, 
includes  the  celebration  and  the  presentation  of  wisdom. 
The  sonnets  in  adoration  of  God  and  Wisdom  make  a 
much  smaller  proportion  of  the  whole  work  of  the  son  of 
Sirach  than  was  the  case  with  Proverbs.  In  general  poetic 
character  they  are  much  the  same  as  the  sonnets  of  that 
book.  Especially  noticeable  is  the  musical  poise  they  sus- 
tain,'by  their  elaborate  parallelism  and  use  of  the  refrain,  and 
by  their  crescendo  through  the  enumeration  of  particulars  to 
a  climax.  To  the  great  monologue  of  Wisdom  in  Proverbs 
I  have  already  pointed  out  a  parallel  merged  in  the  preface 
to  the  second  book  of  Ecclesiasticus .  Wisdom  is  described 
as  the  breath  of  the  Most  High,  covering  the  earth  as  a 
mist,  throned  in  the  pillared  cloud,  moving  in  loneliness 
over  the  circling  heavens  and  the  bottomless  abyss,  over 
the  tossing  seas,  and  the  limitless  peoples  of  the  world, 
until  the  Creator  bids  her  take  up  her  tabernacle  in  Jacob. 
In  glorification  of  this  Wisdom  follows  a  tour-de-force  of 


-^  Introduction 

imagery  from  the  world  of  vegetation :  the  stateliest  trees 
express  her  exaltation,  sweetest  odours  are  compared  to 
the  words  she  breathes,  her  permeating  presence  is  pict- 
ured by  stretching  branches  and  graceful  flowers.  All 
are  invited  to  an  exhaustless  feast :  to  eat  and  yet  be 
hungry.  At  this  point  may  be  seen  a  suggestive  difference 
between  the  spirit  of  Ecclesiasticits  and  that  of  Proverbs, 
At  the  climax  of  the  poem  the  author  breaks  in  to  say  (in 
prose)  that  the  Wisdom  so  celebrated  is  '  The  Law.'  The 
word  '  law '  does  not  occur  once  in  Ecclesiastes^  nor  (in  the 
technical  sense)  in  Job  or  Wisdom ;  in  Proverbs  it  is  used 
only  as  one  of  a  crowd  of  synonyms  for  wisdom :  in  the 
present  work  it  occurs  more  than  twenty  times.  All  this 
is  in  accord  with  what  is  seen  of  the  personality  of  the 
author ;  as  Professor  Cheyne  has  well  put  it,  the  man  of 
wisdom  has  here  turned  Scribe.  But  it  is  to  the  golden 
age  of  the  Scribes  that  he  belongs,  before  their  unchastened 
reverence  for  the  letter  has  degenerated  into  mechanical 
literalism.  The  book  is  entirely  free  from  the  casuistry 
and  loss  of  spiritual  perspective  that  we  associate  with 
so  much  of  the  rabbinical  utterances  which  grew  into  the 
Talmud. 

I  pass  from  the  poetry  recommending  wisdom  to  the 
poetic  and  prose  forms  which  contain  the  wisdom  recom- 
mended. As  in  Proverbs,  the  controversy  of  Wisdom 
with  its  enemies  is  present  throughout.  The  Sluggard, 
who  is  the  chief  butt  of  the  earlier  wise  men,  seems  here 


Introduction  B^ 

to  have  disappeared,  and  it  is  the  Fool  who  bears  the 
brunt  of  the  whole  attack.  He  naively  complains  that  he 
has  no  friends,  those  even  that  eat  his  bread  scorning  to 
thank  him.  His  discourse  has  no  more  consistency  than 
the  changing  moon ;  his  laughter  is  the  wantonness  of 
sin  ;  his  oaths  make  the  hair  stand  on  end.  His  thoughts 
go  round  and  round  like  a  cart  wheel ;  his  heart  is  in  his 
mouth,  whereas  a  wise  man's  mouth  is  his  heart.  To 
teach  the  Fool  is  as  impossible  as  to  glue  together  a 
broken  potsherd,  or  to  discourse  to  one  who  slumbers  and 
will  presently  awake  and  ask  what  it  is  all  about.  Sand, 
salt,  lead,  a  mass  of  iron,  are  all  figures  to  express  the 
oppressiveness  of  the  Fool's  company.  Seven  days  are 
the  days  of  mourning  for  the  dead :  but  for  a  Fool  ail  the 
days  of  his  life. 

In  contradistinction  to  all  this  wisdom  is  a  thing  of  long 
and  earnest  pursuit.  The  follower  of  Wisdom  must  be  as 
one  that  tracketh,  prying  in  at  her  windows,  fastening  a 
nail  in  her  walls. 

At  the  first  she  will  walk  with  him  in  crooked  ways,  and  will 
bring  fear  and  dread  upon  him,  and  torment  him  with  her  disci- 
pline, until  she  may  trust  his  soul,  and  try  him  by  her  judge- 
ments :  then  witi  she  return  again  the  straight  way  unto  him, 
and  will  gladden  him,  and  reveal  to  him  her  secrets. 

There  is  an  approach  to  a  formulated  conception  of 
wisdom.     Moral  and  intellectual  knowledge  are  not  to  be 


-^  Introduction 

separated :  praise  is  not  comely  for  the  sinner,  and  he  can 
never  become  wise,  because  he  abominates  that  godliness 
which  is  the  sole  way  to  wisdom  (I.  iii).  One  essay  (I.  Ix) 
traces  various  counterfeit  forms  of  wisdom.  The  knowl- 
edge of  evil  is  not  wisdom,  and  the  pleasantries  of  fools 
are  not  wit.  Wisdom  is  not  found  in  the  exquisite  sub- 
tilty  that  amounts  to  injustice ;  nor  in  violence  of  judge- 
ment and  reproof;  nor  in  the  prosperity  and  adversity 
which  are  really  the  opposites  of  what  they  seem.  One 
of  the  longest  and  miost  highly  finished  of  all  the  essays 
is  devoted  to  a  distinction  between  two  kinds  of  wisdom 
(III.  xv)  :  the  wisdom  of  the  busy  and  the  wisdom  of  the 
man  of  leisure.  The  agricultural  toiler,  the  skilled  graver 
of  signets,  the  smith  sweating  at  his  furnace,  the  artistic 
potter — all  that  thus  put  their  trust  in  their  hands  are 
wise  in  their  work  :  these  maintain  the  fabric  of  the  world, 
and  in  the  handywork  of  their  craft  is  their  prayer.  But 
these  shall  not  declare  wisdom,  and  where  parables  are 
they  shall  not  be  found.  To  these  is  opposed  the  man 
that  hath  applied  his  soul,  and  meditated  in  the  law  of  the 
Most  High.  He  shall  pour  forth  wisdom,  and  in  prayer 
give  thanks  :  but  even  he  only  "  if  the  great  Lord  will." 
The  Book  of  Proverbs  was  concerned,  not  only  with  the 
contending  wisdom  and  folly,  but  also  with  the  judgement 
that  was  daily  deciding  between  them.  Similarly  in  this 
work  we  have  warnings  against  the  sowing  on  the  furrows 
of  unrighteousness  and  the  sevenfold  reaping  that  ensues. 

XX 


Introduction  8«- 

But  as  we  noticed  a  partial  formulation  of  the  idea  of 
wisdom,  so  we  may  note  an  approach  to  a  theory  of  provi- 
dence. The  great  perplexity  of  ancient  thought  was  the 
visible  prosperity  of  the  sinner.  Ecdesiastiais  emphati- 
cally asserts  (I.  xliv)  that  prosperity  and  adversity  are 
from  the  Lord.  What  appearance  there  is  to  the  contrary 
can  easily  be  met  by  a  sudden  reversal  at  the  end. 

In  the  day  of  good  things  there  is  a  forgetfulness  of  evil 
things ;  and  in  the  day  of  evil  things  a  man  will  not  remem- 
ber things  that  are  good.  For  it  is  an  easy  thing  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord  to  reward  a  man  in  the  day  of  death  according  to 
his  ways.  The  affliction  of  an  hour  causeth  forgetfulness  of 
dehght ;  and  in  the  last  end  of  a  man  is  the  revelation  of  his 
deeds. 

Yet  another  loophole  is  offered  for  escape  from  the  diffi- 
culty of  appearances  :  that  a  man  shall  be  known  in  his 
children.  Another  essay  (I.  lii)  proclaims  that  there  is 
no  safety  for  sinners  in  their  numbers ;  as  little  in  their 
insignificance  :  '"•  There  is  a  tempest  which  no  man  shall 
see  ;  yea,  the  more  part  of  his  works  are  hid.'' 

Is  there  any  scepticism  in  Ecdesiasticus,  such  as  even  in 
Proverbs  was  for  a  mom.ent  revealed  by  the  sonnet  of 
Agur?  It  must  be  remembered  of  course  that  the  present 
work  is  not  a  collection  only,  but  the  work  of  a  single 
author,  who  has  arranged  and  modified  where  he  did  not 
himself  compose.     I  think  Professor  Cheyne  goes  too  far 


^  Introduction 

in  saying  that  the  author  of  this  book  is  no  more  troubled 
by  doubts  than  the  writer  of  the  introduction  to  Proverbs, 
His  personal  faith  is  indeed  unwavering ;  but  his  wording, 
compared  with  the  earlier  work,  suggests  the  believer  who 
has  had  to  confront  objectors.  Hence  in  the  essay  quoted 
above  the  emphasis  placed  upon  final  reversals  of  fort- 
une, and  the  suggestion  of  the  next  generation  as  a  still 
further  chance  for  the  revelation  of  the  ungodly.  Of  the 
same  sort  is  a  curious  analogy  which  the  son  of  Sirach  sets 
himself  to  trace  (II.  xxxix)  :  the  perplexing  inequalities 
among  mankind  are  referred  to  the  absolute  will  of  God, 
in  the  same  way  that  God  has  created  days  of  honour  and 
days  of  dishonour,  though  his  sun  illumines  alike  all  the 
days  of  the  year.  More  important  still  is  the  preface  to 
Book  IV.  It  contends  that  all  things  have  their  seasons  ; 
all  things  (including  evil)  have  their  uses ;  all  the  works 
of  the  Lord  will  be  approved  in  their  seasons.  The  form 
is  rhetoric  encomium  ;  but  this  veils  a  theory  of  providence 
generated  by  the  necessity  of  meeting  difficulties  —  ihe 
very  philosophy  of  times  and  seasons  which,  stated  as  a 
formal  theory,  Ecclesiastes  sets  himself  to  overthrow. 

In  the  introduction  to  the  Proverbs  volume  I  pointed 
out  the  comparative  absence  of  two  leading  topics  of  mod- 
ern thought  —  religion  and  politics.  In  Ecclesiasticus  there 
is  even  less  of  politics:  only  one  essay  (I.  xli)  can  be 
ranked  under  this  head,  an  essay  in  which  the  scribe,  or 
instructed  man,  is  described  as  the  artificer  of  the  work  of 


Introduction  9«- 

good  government.  But  much  more  space  is  given  in  this 
book  to  the  topic  of  religion.  Not  to  speak  of  tlie  hymns 
of  adoration,  there  are  exclamations  against  hypocrisy  in 
public  worship  ;  and  the  recognition  of  dues  to  the  priest 
is  enumerated  among  the  duties  of  a  household.  A 
great  essay  (III.  vi)  is  devoted  to  the  subject  of  sacrifice. 
It  breathes  the  spirit  of  the  fiftieth  psalm,  that  sacrifice 
unaccompanied  by  righteousness  is  impious.  It  adds  the 
duty  of  offering  with  cheerfulness  ;  and  concludes  with  the 
power  of  humble  prayer.  A  prayer  for  afflicted  Israel 
follows ;  and  the  collection  contains  another  prayer  for 
purity  of  lips  and  heart  (I.  Ixxix).  There  is  doctrine  in 
this  work,  as  well  as  the  religious  spirit.  I  must  say  that 
the  references  found  by  many  commentators  to  specific 
points  of  theology  —  such  as  angelology,  the  Satan,  Messi- 
anic hopes  —  are  by  no  means  clear  to  me.  And  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  and 
future  life  forms  no  part  of  the  system  of  this  writer ;  there 
is  no  reference  to  it  which  is  not,  to  say  the  least,  ambiguous, 
and  on  the  other  hand  the  author  is  constantly  relying  on 
sanctions  of  another  kind  —  the  final  judgement  implied  in 
the  close  of  a  life,  the  yet  later  judgement  on  his  children, 
the  prize  of  a  good  name  to  last  beyond  death.  But  positive 
doctrine  is  not  wanting.  There  is  an  emphatic  assertion 
(I.  li)  of  free  will :  God  hath  set  fire  and  water  before  man, 
and  he  shall  stretch  forth  his  hand  unto  whichsoever  he 
will ;  man  has  been  left  in  the  hand  of  his  own  counsel. 


-^  Introduction 

And  one  essay  (I.  liii)  seems  to  contain  a  complete  creed 
of  the  son  of  Siracb,  though  a  creed  that  is  rhetoric  rather 
than  dogmatic  in  form.  One  paragraph  proclaims  God  as 
the  creator  of  the  universe ;  the  next  as  the  creator  of  re- 
sponsible man  ;  this  responsibility  implies  infirmity  and  the 
consequent  necessity  for  repentance  ;  a  climax  is  found  in 
the  omnipotence  that  passes  into  mercy. 

As  a  drop  of  water  from  the  sea,  and  a  pebble  from  the  sand, 
so  are  a  few  years  in  the  days  of  eternity.  For  this  cause  the 
Lord  was  longsuffering  over  them,  and  poured  out  his  mercy 
upon  them.  . . .  The  mercy  of  a  man  is  upon  his  neighbour ; 
but  the  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  upon  all  flesh. 

Coming  to  the  topic  of  conduct  we  find,  as  we  should 
expect,  a  more  rounded  treatment  of  particular  subjects 
than  was  seen  in  Proverbs.  In  the  essay  on  Meekness 
(Lviii),  though  the  individual  sentences  have  the  form  of 
precepts,  yet  their  effect  is  to  frame  a  complete  conception 
of  the  virtue  out  of  its  opposition  to  self-exaltation,  to 
intellectual  anxiety,  to  fussiness,  and  to  stubbornness  and 
unrepentance.  Pride  is  elaborately  treated  (I.  xlii)  :  it  is 
a  disease,  the  cause  of  mutations  in  states  and  the  lives 
of  individuals ;  not  human  distinctions  but  meekness  and 
inner  qualities  make  true  honour,  and  none  is  greater  than 
he  that  feareth  the  Lord.  Niggardliness  is  presented  as 
the  envy  of  self.  Temperance  is  connected  with  the 
despising  of  small  things.      Temporal  ambition  seeking 


Introduction  ^ 

office  without  regard  to  fitness  is  put  in  the  same  category 
with  the  spiritual  ambition  of  self-justification  in  prayer 
(I.xxvi).  The  government  of  the  tongue  has  a  large 
place  in  the  writer's  thoughts,  and  his  strongest  language 
is  reserved  for  sins  of  the  flesh.  One  more  topic  may  be 
mentioned  in  this  connection,  that  of  Friendship,  which 
covers  four  different  essays.  Friendship  is  exalted  as  the 
medicine  of  life :  nothing  may  be  taken  in  exchange  for  a 
friend.  But  friends  need  proving ;  "  let  those  that  be  at 
peace  with  thee  be  many,  but  thy  counsellors  one  of  a 
thousand."  Irritable  behaviour  and  the  revealing  of  secrets 
will  break  up  friendship  as  surely  as  a  stone  will  fray  away 
the  birds. 

Is  there  not  a  grief  in  it,  even  unto  death,  when  a  companion 
and  friend  is  turned  to  enmity  ?  O  wicked  imagination, 
whence  earnest  thou  rolling  in  to  cover  the  dry  land  with 
deceitfulness  ? 

On  the  whole,  however,  the  book  contains,  not  so  much 
general  ethical  notions,  as  the  particular  applications  of 
them  which  we  call  behaviour.  One  essay  deals  with 
duties  to  parents ;  others  with  duties  to  the  poor ;  one 
with  the  general  duty  of  a  householder,  including  observ- 
ances of  religion,  charity,  and  social  intercourse.  There 
is  one  budget  of  advice  (I.  xlv)  on  the  choice  of  company ; 
another  (I.xl)  prescribes  in  the  widest  sense  the  proper 
behaviour  towards   all   kinds   of  men,   ending  with   the 


-^  Introduction 

importance  of  reading  character :  "  as  well  as  thou  canst, 
guess  at  thy  neighbours."  What  will  strike  a  modern 
reader  most  in  this  part  of  the  subject  is  that  the  separa- 
tion has  not  yet  taken  place  between  ethic  and  economic 
ideas,  between  manners  and  morals.  He  will  find  discus- 
sion of  lying,  of  meddlesomeness,  of  the  bashfulness  that 
destroys  a  soul,  of  the  graciousness  which  is  like  the  dew 
assuaging  the  scorching  heat :  and  side  by  side  with  these 
he  will  read  about  the  expediency  of  getting  round  influen- 
tial people  with  the  gifts  that  blind  the  eyes  and  muzzle 
the  reproving  mouth.  In  the  long  essay  on  Feasting 
(II.  xxiv),  the  first  paragraph  prescribes  table  manners : 

Stretch  not  thy  hand  whithersoever  it  looketh,  and  thrust  not 
thyself  with  it  into  the  dish. 

The  next  is  occupied  with  the  importance  to  health  of 
moderation  in  eating,  and  especially  of  activity : 

Hear  me,  my  son,  and  despise  me  not,  and  at  the  last  thou 
shalt  find  my  words  true  :  in  all  thy  works  be  quick,  and  no 
disease  shall  come  unto  thee. 

Then  comes  a  paragraph  recommending  liberal  hospi- 
tality ;  then  a  protest  against  talking  of  business  matters 
to  one  encountered  at  a  feast.  Modesty  in  exercising  the 
office  of  president  follows ;  then  come  general  principles 
to  regulate  conversation  at  table ;  a  detail  of  this  section 
proclaims  the  value  of  music  at  a  banquet,  and  insists  upon 


Introduction  8*^ 

the  bad  manners  of  talking  while  music  is  going  on.  Else- 
where elementary  purit}^  and  honesty  stand  side  by  side 
with  the  fault  of  leaning  on  the  elbow,  or  omitting  to 
salute.  There  is  a  strong  insistence  upon  accuracy  in 
keeping  accounts;  but  it  is  to  be  found — along  with 
celebration  of  the  Law  and  precepts  for  the  correction 
of  children  —  in  the  essay  on  Things  to  be  ashamed  of 
(IV.  vi).  What  economic  notions  there  are  of  course 
belong  to  those  of  primitive  society. 

A  sinner  that  falleth  into  suretiship,  and  undertaketh  contracts 
for  work,  shall  fall  into  lawsuits. 

The  notion  of  a  loan  as  an  advantage  to  the  lender  as 
well  as  the  borrower  has  not  yet  appeared ;  lending  and 
suretiship  are  treated  (II.  xix)  as  acts  of  kindness,  but 
acts  of  kindness  that  are  risky,  and  the  writer  becomes 
modern  enough  when  he  describes  the  ways  of  debtors. 

Many  have  reckoned  a  loan  as  a  windfall,  and  have  given 
trouble  to  those  that  helped  them.  Till  he  hath  received  he 
will  kiss  a  man's  hands ;  and  for  his  neighbour's  money  he 
will  speak  submissly ;  and  when  payment  is  due  he  will  pro- 
long the  time,  and  return  words  of  heaviness,  and  complain 
of  the  times.  If  he  prevail,  he  shall  hardly  receive  the  half, 
and  he  will  count  it  as  a  windfall. 

Apart  from  specific  directions  for  conduct,  there  is  a 
contemplation   of  life  and  experience  in  general.      The 


-^  Introduction 

dignity  of  work  is  asserted ;  death  is  pronounced  better 
than  the  dependence  of  a  life  looking  to  the  table  of 
another  man.  Want,  it  is  observed,  may  be  a  preventive 
against  sin  and  an  uneaf^y  conscience  ;  on  the  other  hand 
a  mercantile  life  is  a  life  of  constant  temptation. 

A  nail  will  stick  fast  between  the  joinings  of  stones ;  and  sin 
will  force  itself  in  between  buying  and  selling. 

The  topic  of  woman  is  variously  treated.  The  Queen 
of  Sheba  seems  to  have  left  no  successor  amongst  the 
wise  men,  and  there  is  a  lordly  superiority  in  the  way 
the  son  of  Sirach  considers  all  women  available',  though 
not  all  equally  worth  having. 

A  woman  will  receive  any  man ;  but  one  daughter  is  better 
than  another. 

He  easily  slips  into  the  subject  of  woman's  frailty,  and 
seems  to  think  (IV.  vii)  of  a  father's  duty  to  a  daughter 
as  that  of  constantly  watching  against  her  sins.  On  the 
other  hand,  when  home  is  the  topic,  the  strongest  writing 
is  used  to  exalt  the  good  wife.  More  than  this  :  woman's 
influence  on  man  is  treated  as  a  necessity ;  a  short  essay 
(II.  xx)  is  devoted  to  the  blessing  of  possessing  a  house 
of  one's  own,  and  another  (III.  x)  scorns  the  unsettled 
single  life  as  that  of  a  nimble  robber,  skipping  from  city 
to  city,  lodging  nestless  wheresoever  he  findeth  himself  at 
nightfall.  Health  is  in  Ecclesiasticus  treated  as  some- 
thing beyond  riches ;    and  principles  are  laid  down  for 


Introduction  S^ 

regulation  of  life  in  health  and  in  sickness.  Dreams  are 
pronounced  vanity  (III.  iii),  with  a  reservation  for  those 
that  may  have  been  sent  from  the  Lord.  A  beautiful 
essay  (IV.  i)  dwells  upon  the  burden  of  life,  pressing  on 
all  men  from  the  day  of  their  coming  forth  from  their 
mother's  womb,  until  the  day  for  their  burial  in  the  mother 
of  all  things  ;  even  sleep  is  not  free  from  this  oppression. 

A  little  or  nothing  is  his  resting,  and  afterward  in  his  sleep, 
as  in  a  day  of  keeping  watch,  he  is  troubled  in  the  vision  of 
his  heart,  as  one  that  hath  escaped  from  the  front  of  battle. 
In  the  very  time  of  his  deliverance  he  awaketh,  and  marvell- 
eth  that  the  fear  is  nought. 

Finally  there  is  a  sonnet  on  Death  (IV.  iv),  as  the 
dread  of  the  happy,  the  longed-for  goal  of  the  miserable 
and  failing,  and  the  sentence  from  the  Most  High  over 
all  flesh. 

To  the  topics  of  earlier  literature  Ecclesiasticus  makes 
a  notable  addition  in  history.  But  this  history,  like  the 
general  idea  of  wisdom,  is  treated  in  the  tone  of  celebra- 
tion, not  of  reflection.  "  Let  us  now  praise  famous  men," 
is  the  introduction  to  the  longest  of  the  rhetoric  encomia; 
as  in  English  literature  the  early  Baconian  '-  v»-isdom '  led 
in  time  to  the  Worthies  of  Fuller,  so  this  second  work  of 
Wisdom  literature  ends  with  a  succession  of  Hebrew  Wor- 
thies. The  list  extends  from  Enoch  to  Hezekiah  and 
Josiah,  to  Zerubbabel  and  other  leaders  of  the  return  from 


-^  Introduction 

exile ;  when  it  seems  to  be  concluded  it  reopens  to  make 
mention  of  Simon  son  of  Onias,  and  to  describe  the 
splendour  of  Temple  service  with  a  vividness  which  has 
suggested  to  some  commentators  the  enthusiasm  of  an 
eye-witness.  The  style  is  the  flowing  rhetoric  of  delighted 
recollection  ;  and  in  my  notes  *  I  have  pointed  out  passages 
which  suggest  to  me  the  possibility  of  quotations  from 
historic  hymns.  There  is  no  criticism  of  persons  or 
events,  beyond  the  accepted  commonplace  of  the  unhappy 
end  of  Solomon.  It  was  reserved  for  the  final  book  of 
Wisdom  literature  to  marshal  the  history  of  the  chosen 
people  so  as  to  read  into  it  a  theory  of  Divine  providence. 
The  style  of  our  author  is  sufficiently  described  when 
it  is  recognised  as  the  gradual  transition  from  the  stiffness 
of  the  gnomic  sentence  to  the  flowing  rhetoric  which  de- 
lights to  accumulate  parallel  sentences  as  an  end  in  itself. 
Imagery  and  other  striking  forms  of  expression  abound. 
The  sway  of  unjust  wrath  is  its  downfall ;  a  proud  heart 
has  rooted  a  plant  of  wickedness  in  its  owner;  he  who 
refuses  to  confess  his  sins  forces  the  current  of  the  river ; 
self-will  dries  up  the  soul  like  a  withering  tree ;  aged  feet 
climbing  up  a  sandy  v/ay  make  an  image  for  a  man  weighted 
with  an  unworthy  wife.  The  gossiping  fool  'travails'  with 
his  news  ;  again  it  is  said  : 

Hast  thou  heard  a  word  ?   let  it  die  with  thee :  be  of  good 
courage,  it  will  not  burst  thee. 

*  Below,  pp.  i8i,  182. 


Introduction  S«- 

The  images  of  the  spark,  the  whip,  the  hedge,  are  effec- 
tively applied  to  the  tongue  (II.  xviii)  ;  the  impalpable 
dream  is  touched  with  a  profusion  of  shadowy  comparisons. 

Dreams  give  wings  to  fools.  As  one  that  catcheth  at  a 
shadow,  and  followeth  after  the  wind,  so  is  he  that  setteth 
his  mind  on  dreams.  The  vision  of  dreams  is  as  this  thing 
against  that,  the  hkeness  of  a  face  over  against  a  face. 

The  most  figurative  writing  is  to  be  found  in  the  enco- 
mium on  the  Works  of  the  Lord  (V.  i).  The  falling 
snow  is  like  the  lighting  of  the  locust,  the  hoar  frost  con- 
geals as  points  of  thorns ;  the  cold  north  wind  devours 
the  mountains,  burns  up  the  wild,  and  consumes  the 
green  herb  as  fire ;  as  it  passes,  every  gathering  together 
of  waters  puts  "  on  as  it  were  a  breastplate." 

Resemblances  in  Ecclesiasticus  to  other  literature  will 
strike  every  reader;  they  may  not  be  defined  enough  to 
afford  a  basis  of  argument,  but  they  will  awaken  a  curious 
interest.  One  would  have  felt  sure  that  the  suggestion  of 
gratitude  as  a  sense  of  favours  to  come  was  the  product 
of  modern  cynicism :  but  the  son  of  Sirach  urges  this 
gravely. 

He  that  requiteth  good  turns  is  mindful  of  that  which  cometh 
afterward.    (I.  xi.) 

It  is  startling  to  find  closing  one  of  these  wisdom  essays 
(I.  xliv)  the  familiar  Greek  warning:  Call  no  man  happy 
before  his  death.     The  reference  (I.  xlv)  to  the  wiping 

xxxi 


-^  Introduction 

of  a  bronze  mirror  reminds  of  the  famous  passage  in  the 
Agamemnon ;  the  comparison  of  the  pot  and  the  jar  be- 
longs to  a  fable  of  ^sop ;  the  likening  of  the  generations 
of  men  to  the  leaves  (I.  xlix)  calls  up  the  similar  use  of 
the  image  in  Homer ;  the  advice  to  make  a  door  and  bar 
for  the  mouth  (II.  xviii)  suggests  the  Homeric  'pinfold  of 
the  mouth/  St.  James  is  unquestionably  under  great 
obligations  to  Ecclesiasticiis ;  his  essay  on  the  Responsi- 
bility of  Speech  is  almost  a  mosaic  of  quotations.  There 
is  a  suggestion  of  still  more  important  influence.  When 
y^Q  read  the  proverb  (I.  Ixxiv)  — 

The  way  of  sinners  is  made  smooth  with  stones ; 
And  at  the  last  end  thereof  is  the  pit  of  Hades  — 

we  cannot  help  thinking  of  the  "  broad  road  that  leadeth 
to  destruction."  And  two  other  passages  oi  Ecclesiasticus 
call  up  two  of  the  parables  of  Christ. 

There  is  that  waxeth  rich  by  his  wariness  and  pinching,  and 
this  is  the  portion  of  his  reward :  when  he  saith,  I  have 
found  rest,  and  now  will  I  eat  of  my  goods  —  yet  he  knoweth 
not  what  time  shall  pass,  and  he  shall  leave  them  to  others, 
and  die.     (I.  xliv.) 

Forgive  thy  neighbour  the  hurt  that  he  hath  done  thee ;  and 
then  thy  sins  shall  be  pardoned  when  thou  prayest.  Man 
cherisheth  anger  against  man  ;  and  doth  he  seek  healing  from 
the  Lord  ?  Upon  a  man  like  himself  he  hath  no  mercy ;  and 
xxxii 


Introduction  6«*- 

doth  he  make  supplication  for  his  own  sins  ?  He  being  him- 
self flesh  nourisheth  wrath :  who  shall  make  atonement  for 
his  sins  ?     (II.  xvii.) 

The  Apocn-pha  has  disappeared  from  our  modern 
bibles ;  and  to  the  ordinary  reader  of  the  present 
generation  Ecclesiasticus  is  almost  an  unknown  book. 
Within  a  few  weeks  only  the  Revised  Version  has 
again  made  it  accessible  to  him :  how  far  he  will  be 
attracted  to  it  I  would  not  undertake  to  predict.  It  is 
a  far  cry  from  Bacon  to  Martin  Tupper :  yet  Ecclesiasti- 
acs  has  affinities  with  both.  In  English  literature  it  was 
Bacon  that  developed  into  Tupper :  Ecclesiastictis  repre- 
sents a  progression  which  is  as  if  Martin  Tupper  developed 
into  Bacon.  To  those  who  like  their  literary  food  spiced 
with  humour  it  may  be  said  that  the  son  of  Sirach  makes 
the  nearest  approach  to  humour  in  a  literature  which  the 
absence  of  that  quality  distinguishes  from  the  other  great- 
est literatures  of  the  world.  Formal  philosophy  has  at 
least  an  historic  interest  in  the  widening  survey  of  life 
which  yet  stops  short  of  the  questioning  of  life's  difficul- 
ties. And  the  reader  sensitive  to  literary  form  cannot  fail 
to  feel  attracted  by  a  work  presenting  such  varieties  of 
form :  from  the  unit  proverbs  still  collected  to  fill  gaps, 
through  the  intermediary  epigrams  and  maxims,  to  sonnets 
and  monologues  having  the  charm  of  highest  poetry,  and 
essays  and  encomia  which,  over  and  above  the  force  of 


-^  Introduction 

their  shrewd  and  reverent  thought,  offer  the   constant 
attraction  of  watching  a  style  in  the  act  of  developing. 

*  * 
* 

The  text  used  in  this  edition  is  that  of  the  Revised 
Version,  the  marginal  renderings  being  often  adopted. 
For  the  use  of  it  I  must  express  my  obligations  to  the 
University  Presses  of  Oxford  and  Cambridge. 

xxxiv 


The  Wisdom 


of 


Jesus  the  Son  of  Sirach 


otherwise  known  as 


Ecclesiasticus 


ECCLESIA  S  TICUS 

A  MISCELLANY  OF  WISDOM 

IN  FIVE  BOOKS 


PREFACE   BY   THE    TRANSLATOR 
THE    GRANDSON   OF   JESUS 

Whereas  many  and  great  things  have  been  delivered 
unto  us  by  the  law  and  the  prophets^  and  by  the  others 
that  have  followed  in  their  steps^  for  the  which  things 
we  :::tist  give  Israel  the  praise  of  instrtiction  and  wis- 
dom ;  and  since  not  07tly  the  readers  must  needs  become 
skilfid  themselves,  but  also  they  that  love  learning  7nust 
be  able  to  profit  theiti  which  are  without,  both  by  speak- 
ing and  writing:  my  grandfather,  Jesus,  having  77iuch 
give7t  hi77iself  to  the  readi7ig  of  the  law  a7id  the  proph- 
ets, and  the  other  books  of  our  fathers,  a7id  having 
gai7ied  great  familiarity  therei7i,  was  drawn  07i  also 
hi7nself  to  write  so77?czvhat  pertai7ii7ig  to  i7istructio7i  and 
wisdo77t ;  in  order  that  those  who  love  learning,  a7id  are 
addicted  to  these  thi7igs,  77iight  77iake  progress  77iuch  77iore 
by  living  according  to  the  law.  Ye  are  entreated  there- 
fore to  read  with  favoiir  a7id  attention ;  and  to  pardot^ 
us  if  in  a7ty  parts  of  what  we  have  laboiired  to  inter- 
pret we  7nay  see7n  to  fail  in  so77ie  of  the  phrases.     For 

5 


-^  Translator's  Preface 

things  originally  spoken  in  Hebrew  have  not  the  same 
force  in  them  when  they  are  translated  into  another 
tongue',  and  not  only  these,  but  the  law  itself,  and  the 
prophecies,  and  the  rest  of  the  books,  have  no  small 
difference  wheii  they  are  spoken  in  their  original  lan- 
guage. For  having  come  into  Egypt  in  the  eight  and 
thirtieth  year  of  Euergetes  the  king,  and  havi7ig  con- 
titiued  there  some  time,  I  found  a  copy  affording  no 
small  instruction.  I  thought  it  therefore  most  necessary 
for  me  to  apply  some  diligence  and  travail  to  interpret 
this  book',  applyijig  indeed  much  watchfulness  and  skill 
in  that  space  of  time  to  bring  the  book  to  an  end,  and 
set  it  forth  for  them  also  who  in  the  land  of  their 
sojourning  are  desirous  to  learn,  fashioning  their  man- 
ners beforehand,  so  as  to  live  according  to  the  law. 


THE   AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 

I  will  give  thanks  unto  thee,  O  Lord,  O  King,  and 
will  praise  thee,  God  jny  Saviour.  I  do  give  thanks 
unto  thy  naine :  for  thou  wast  my  protector  and  helper, 
and  didst  deliver  my  body  out  of  destruction,  and  out 
of  the  snare  of  a  slanderous  tongue,  frofn  lips  that 
forge  lies;  and  wast  tny  helper  before  them  that  stood 
by ',  and  didst  deliver  me,  according  to  the  abujidance 
of  thy  mercy  and  greatness  of  thy  name,  fro7n  the 
gnashings  of  teeth  ready  to  devour,  out  of  the  hand  of 
such  as  sought  my  life ;  out  of  the  manifold  afflictions 
which  I  had]  frofn  the  choking  of  a  fire  on  every  side, 
and  out  of  the  jnidst  of  the  fire  which  I  kindled  not; 
out  of  the  depth  of  the  belly  of  the  grave ;  and  from  an 
unclean  tongue,  and  from  lying  words,  the  slander  of 
an  unrighteous  tongue  unto  the  king.  My  soul  drew 
near  eve7i  unto  death,  and  my  life  was  near  to  the  grave 
beneath.  They  cotnpassed  me  on  every  side,  and  there 
was  none  to  help  me.  I  was  looking  for  the  succour  of 
men,  and  it  was  not.     And  I  remembered  thy  mercy,  O 

7 


-^  Author's  Preface 

ILord,  and  thy  working  which  hath  beeti  from  everlast- 
ings how  thou  deliverest  them  that  wait  for  thee,  and 
savest  thein  out  of  the  hand  of  the  enemies.  And  T 
lifted  tip  my  supplication  from  the  earth,  and  prayed 
for  deliverance  fro7n  death. 

I  called  upon  the  Lord, 

The  father  of  my  Lord, 
That  he  would  not  forsake  me  in  the  days  of  affliction; 

In  the  time  when  there  was  no  help  against  the  proud: 
I  will  praise  thy  name  continually. 

And  will  sing  praise  with  thanksgiving. 

And  my  supplication  was  heard:  for  thou  savedst  7ne 
from  destruction,  ajid  deliveredst  me  fro?n  the  evil  time : 
therefore  will  I  give  thanks  and  praise  unto  thee,  and 
bless  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

When  I  was  yet  young,  or  ever  I  went  abroad^  I 
sought  wisdom  openly  in  7ny  prayer.  Before  the  te7}ipie 
I  asked  for  her^  and  I  will  seek  her  out  even  to  the 
end.  From  her  flower  as  from  the  ripening  grape  my 
heart  delighted  in  her;  my  foot  trod  in  uprightness, 
from  my  youth  I  tracked  her  out.  I  bowed  down  mine 
ear  a  little,  and  received  her,  and  found  for  myself 
much  instruction.  I  profited  in  her;  unto  hi?n  that 
giveth  7ne  wisdom  I  will  give  glory.  For  I  purposed 
to  practise  her,  and  I  was  zealous  for  that  which  is 
good;   and  I  shall  never  be  put  to  sha77ie.     My  sotd 

8 


Author's  Preface  Q^ 

hath  wrestled  in  her,  and  in  my  doing  I  was  exact '^  I 
spread  forth  my  hands  to  the  heaven  above,  and 
bewailed  jny  ignorances  of  her;  I  set  7ny  soul  aright 
unto  her:  and  in  pureness  I  found  her.  I  gat  me  a 
heart  joined  with  her  from  the  begimiing ;  therefore 
shall  I  not  be  forsake7i.  My  inward  part  also  was 
trotibled  to  seek  her:  therefore  have  I  gotten  a  good 
possession.  The  Lord  gave  7ne  a  tongue  for  ?ny  reward ; 
and  I  will  praise  him  therewith. 

Draw  near  tcnto  me,  ye  unlearned,  and  lodge  ifi  the 
house  of  instruction.  Say,  wherefore  are  ye  lacking  in 
these  things,  afid  your  souls  are  very  thirsty  ?  I  opened 
my  fnouth  and  spake.  Get  her  for  yourselves  without 
money ;  put  your  neck  under  the  yoke,  and  let  your 
soul  receive  instruction :  she  is  hard  at  hand  to  find. 
Behold  with  your  eyes,  how  that  I  laboured  but  a  little, 
and  fotmd  for  myself  much  rest.  Get  you  instruc- 
tion with  a  great  sufn  of  silver,  and  gain  ?mich  gold  by 
her.  May  your  soid  rejoice  in  his  mercy,  and  may 
ye  not  be  put  to  shame  in  praisijig  him.  Work  your 
work  before  the  time  cofnethy  and  in  his  titne  he  will 
give  you  your  reward. 


Book  I 


Wisdom  and  the  Fear  of  the  Lord 

A  Sonnet 

All  wisdom  cometh  from  the  Lord, 
And  is  with  him  for  ever. 

The  sand  of  the  seas, 
And  the  drops  of  rain. 
And  the  days  of  eternity,  who  shall  number  ? 
The  height  of  the  heaven. 
And  the  breadth  of  the  earth,  and  the  deep. 
And  wisdom,  who  shall  search  them  out  ? 
Wisdom  hath  been  created  before  all  things, 
And  the  understanding  of  prudence  from  everlasting. 

To  whom  hath  the  root  of  wisdom  been  revealed  ? 
And  who  hath  known  her  shrewd  counsels  ? 
There  is  one  wise, 
Greatly  to  be  feared. 
The  Lord  sitting  upon  his  throne : 
He  created  her, 
And  saw,  and  numbered  her. 
And  poured  her  out  upon  all  his  works. 
She  is  with  all  flesh  according  to  his  gift ; 
And  he  gave  her  freely  to  them  that  love  him. 

13 


Book  I  i  -^  Ecclesiasticus    or 

The  fear  of  the  Lord 
Is  glory  and  exultation, 
And  gladness,  and  a  crown  of  rejoicing. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord 
Shall  delight  the  heart. 
And  shall  give  gladness,  and  joy,  and  length  of  days. 

Whoso  feareth  the  Lord, 

It  shall  go  well  with  him  at  the  last. 

And  in  the  day  of  his  death  he  shall  be  blessed. 

To  fear  the  Lord 

Is  the  beginning  of  wisdom  ; 

And  it  was  created  together  with  the  faithful  in  the  womb. 

With  men  she  laid  an  eternal  foundation ; 

And  with  their  seed  shall  she  be  had  in  trust. 

To  fear  the  Lord 

Is  the  fulness  of  wisdom ; 

And  she  satiateth  men  with  her  fruits. 

She  shall  fill  all  her  house  with  desirable  things, 

And  her  garners  with  her  produce. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord 
Is  the  crown  of  wisdom, 
Making  peace  and  perfect  health  to  flourish. 

14 


The    Wisdom    of    Jesus  8«-  Book  I  ii,  iii 

He  both  saw  and  numbered  her ; 

He  rained  down  skill  and  knowledge  of  understanding, 

And  exalted  the  honour  of  them  that  hold  her  fast. 

To  fear  the  Lord 

Is  the  root  of  wisdom  ; 

And  her  branches  are  length  of  days. 

ii 

A  Maxim 

Unjust  wrath  can  never  be pistified ; 
For  the  sway  of  his  wrath  is  his  downfall. 

A  man  that  is  longsuffering  will  bear  for  a  season,  and 
afterward  gladness  shall  spring  up  unto  him  ;  he  will  hide 
his  words  for  a  season,  and  the  lips  of  many  shall  tell  forth 
his  understanding. 

iii 

A  Maxim 

A  parable  of  knowledge  is  in  the  treasures  of  wisdom  ; 
But  godliiiess  is  an  abomination  to  a  sinner. 

If  thou  desire  wisdom,  keep  the  commandments,  and  the 
Lord  shall  give  her  unto  thee  freely ;  for  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  is  wisdom  and  instruction,  and  in  faith  and  meekness 
is  his  good  pleasure. 

15 


Book  I  iv,  V  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

iv 

A  Maxim 

Disobey  not  the  fear  of  the  Lord; 

Ajtd  coine  not  unto  him  with  a  double  heart. 

Be  not  a  hypocrite  in  the  mouths  of  men ;  and  take 
good  heed  to  thy  lips.  Exalt  not  thyself,  lest  thou  fall, 
and  bring  dishonour  upon  thy  soul ;  and  so  the  Lord  shall 
reveal  thy  secrets,  and  shall  cast  thee  down  in  the  midst 
of  the  congregation ;  because  thou  earnest  not  unto  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  and  thy  heart  was  full  of  deceit. 

V 

A  Maxim 

My  son  J  if  thou  comest  to  serve  the  Lord, 
Prepare  thy  soul  for  tetnptation. 

Set  thy  heart  aright,  and  constantly  endure,  and  make 
not  haste  in  time  of  calamity.  Cleave  unto  him,  and  de- 
part not,  that  thou  may  est  be  increased  at  thy  latter  end. 
Accept  whatsoever  is  brought  upon  thee,  and  be  long- 
suffering  when  thou  passest  into  humiliation.  For  gold  is 
tried  in  the  fire,  and  acceptable  men  in  the  furnace  of  hu- 
miliation. Put  thy  trust  in  him,  and  he  will  help  thee: 
order  thy  ways  aright,  and  set  thy  hope  on  him. 

i6 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  6«^  Book  I  vi 

vi 

True  and  False  Fear 

A  Sonnet 
Ye  that  fear  the  Lord, 

Wait  for  his  mercy ; 

And  turn  not  aside,  lest  ye  fall. 
Ye  that  fear  the  Lord, 

Put  your  trust  in  him  ; 

And  your  reward  shall  not  fail. 
Ye  that  fear  the  Lord, 

Hope  for  good  things, 

And  for  eternal  gladness  and  mercy. 

Look  at  the  generations  of  old,  and  see, 
Who  did  ever  put  his  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  was  ashamed  ? 
Or  who  did  abide  in  his  fear,  and  was  forsaken  ? 
Or  who  did  call  upon  him,  and  he  despised  him? 

For  the  Lord  is  full  of  compassion, 
And  mercy ; 
And  he  forgiveth  sins, 
And  saveth  in  time  of  affliction. 

Woe  unto  fearful  hearts. 
And  to  faint  hands, 

And  to  the  sinner  that  goeth  two  ways  ! 
c  17 


Book  I  vii  -^  Ecclesiasticiis  or 

Woe  unto  the  faint  heart ! 

For  it  belicveth  not, 

Therefore  shall  it  not  be  defended. 
Woe  unto  you 

That  have  lost  your  patience  ! 

And  what  will  ye  do  \Yhen  the  Lord  shall  visit  you? 

They  that  fear  the  Lord 

Will  not  disobey  his  words ; 

And  they  that  love  him  will  keep  his  ways. 
They  that  fear  the  Lord 

Will  seek  his  good  pleasure  ; 

And  they  that  love  him  shall  be  filled  with  the  law. 
They  that  fear  the  Lord 

Will  prepare  their  hearts. 

And  will  humble  their  souls  in  his  sight :  — 

"  We  will  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  Lord, 
And  not  into  the  hands  of  men : 
For  as  his  majesty  is, 
So  also  is  his  mercy." 

vii 

Honour  to  Parents 

An  Essay 

Hear  me,  your  father,  O  my  children,  and  do  thereafter, 
that  ye  may  be  saved.    For  the  Lord  hath  given  the  father 

iS 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  I  vii 

glory  as  touching  the  children,  and  hath  confirmed  the 
judgement  of  the  mother  as  touching  the  sons.  He  that 
honoureth  his  father  shall  make  atonement  for  sins ;  and 
he  that  giveth  glory  to  his  mother  is  as  one  that  layeth  up 
treasure.  Whoso  honoureth  his  father  shall  have  joy  of 
his  children ;  and  in  the  day  of  his  prayer  he  shall  be 
heard.  He  that  giveth  glory  to  his  father  shall  have 
length  of  days ;  and  he  that  hearkeneth  unto  the  Lord 
shall  bring  rest  unto  his  mother,  and  will  do  service  under 
his  parents,  as  unto  masters.  In  deed  and  word  honour 
thy  father,  that  a  blessing  may  come  upon  thee  from  him ; 
for  the  blessing  of  the  father  establisheth  the  houses  of 
children,  but  the  curse  of  the  mother  rooteth  out  the  foun- 
dations. Glory  not  thyself  in  the  dishonour  of  thy  father ; 
for  thy  father's  dishonour  is  no  glory  unto  thee.  For  the 
glory  of  a  man  is  from  the  honour  of  his  father ;  and  a 
mother  in  dishonour  is  a  reproach  to  her  children. 

My  son,  help  thy  father  in  his  old  age ;  and  grieve  him 
not  as  long  as  he  liveth.  And  if  he  fail  in  understanding, 
have  patience  with  him ;  and  dishonour  him  not  while 
thou  art  in  thy  full  strength.  For  the  relieving  of  thy 
father  shall  not  be  forgotten ;  and  instead  of  sins  it  shall 
be  added  to  build  thee  up.  In  the  day  of  thine  afifliction 
it  shall  remember  thee ;  as  fair  weather  upon  ice,  so  shall 
thy  sins  also  melt  away.  He  that  forsaketh  his  father  is 
as  a  blasphemer;  and  he  that  provoketh  his  mother  is 
cursed  of  the  Lord. 

19 


Book  I  viii,  ix  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

viii 

On  Meekness 

An  Essay 

My  son,  go  on  with  thy  business  in  meekness ;  so  shalt 
thou  be  beloved  of  an  acceptable  man.  The  greater  thou 
art,  humble  thyself  the  more,  and  thou  shalt  find  favour 
before  the  Lord :  for  great  is  the  potency  of  the  Lord,  and 
he  is  glorified  of  them  that  are  lowly.  Seek  not  things 
that  are  too  hard  for  thee,  and  search  not  out  things  that 
are  above  thy  strength.  The  things  that  have  been  com- 
manded thee,  think  thereupon ;  for  thou  hast  no  need  of 
the  things  that  are  secret.  Be  not  over  busy  in  thy  super- 
fluous works ;  for  more  things  are  shewed  unto  thee  than 
men  can  understand.  For  the  conceit  of  many  hath  led 
them  astray ;  and  evil  surmising  hath  caused  their  judge- 
ment to  slip.  A  stubborn  heart  shall  fare  ill  at  the  last ; 
and  he  that  loveth  danger  shall  perish  therein.  A  stub- 
born heart  shall  be  laden  with  troubles ;  and  the  sinner 
shall  heap  sin  upon  sin.  The  calamity  of  the  proud  is  no 
healing  \  for  a  plant  of  wickedness  hath  taken  root  in  him. 

ix 

The  heart  of  the  prudent  will  understand  a  parable ; 
And  the  ear  of  a  listener  is  the  desire  of  a  wise  man. 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  B«-  Book  I  x-xii 

X 

Water  will  quench  a  flaming  fire ; 

And  almsgiving  will  make  atonement  for  sins. 

xi 

He  that  requiteth  good  turns  is  mindful  of  that  which 

Cometh  afterward ; 
And  in  the  time  of  his  falling  he  shall  find  a  support. 


Zll 

Consideration  for  High  and  Low 

An  Essay 

My  son,  deprive  not  the  poor  of  his  living,  and  make 
not  the  needy  eyes  to  wait  long.  Make  not  a  hungry  soul 
sorrowful ;  neither  provoke  a  man  in  his  distress.  To  a 
heart  that  is  provoked  add  not  more  trouble ;  and  defer 
not  to  give  to  him  that  is  in  need.  Reject  not  a  suppliant 
in  his  affliction ;  and  turn  not  away  thy  face  from  a  poor 
man.  Turn  not  away  thine  eye  from  one  that  asketh  of 
thee,  and  give  none  occasion  to  a  man  to  curse  thee ;  for 
if  he  curse  thee,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul,  he  that  made 
him  will  hear  his  supplication.  Get  thyself  the  love  of  the 
congregation,  and  to  a  great  man  bow  thy  head.  Incline 
thine  ear  to  a  poor  man,  and  answer  him  with  peaceable 

21 


Book  I  xiii  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

words  in  meekness.  Deliver  him  that  is  wronged  from  the 
hand  of  him  that  wrongeth  him ;  and  be  not  fainthearted 
in  giving  judgement.  Be  as  a  father  unto  the  fatlierless, 
and  instead  of  a  husband  unto  their  mother :  so  shalt  thou 
be  as  a  son  of  the  IVIost  High,  and  he  shall  love  thee  more 
than  thy  mother  doth. 


Xlll 

Wisdom's  Way  with  her  Children 

An  Essay 

Wisdom  exalteth  her  sons,  and  taketh  hold  of  them  that 
seek  her.  He  that  loveth  her  loveth  life ;  and  they  that 
seek  to  her  early  shall  be  filled  with  gladness.  He  that 
holdeth  her  fast  shall  inherit  glory ;  and  where  he  entereth, 
the  Lord  \\\\\  bless.  They  that  do  her  service  shall  minis- 
ter to  the  Holy  One ;  and  them  that  love  her  the  Lord 
doth  love.  He  that  giveth  ear  unto  her  shall  judge  the 
nations ;  and  he  that  giveth  heed  unto  her  shall  dwell 
securely.  If  he  trust  her,  he  shall  inherit  her;  and  his 
generations  shall  have  her  in  possession.  For  at  the  first 
she  will  walk  with  him  in  crooked  ways,  and  will  bring  fear 
and  dread  upon  him,  and  torment  him  with  her  discipline, 
until  she  may  trust  his  soul,  and  try  him  by  her  judge- 
ments :  then  will  she  return  again  the  straight  way  unto 

22 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  6«-  Book  I  xiv,  xv 

him,  and  will  gladden  him,  and  reveal  to  him  her  secrets. 
If  he  go  astray,  she  will  forsake  him,  and  give  him  over  to 
his  fall. 

xiv 

True  and  False  Shame 

An  Essay 

Observe  the  opportunity,  and  beware  of  evil ;  and  be 
not  ashamed  concerning  thy  soul.  For  there  is  a  shame 
that  bringeth  sin ;  and  there  is  a  shame  that  is  glory  and 
grace.  Accept  not  the  person  of  any  against  thy  soul ; 
and  reverence  no  man  unto  thy  falling.  Refrain  not 
speech  when  it  tendeth  to  safety,  and  hide  not  thy  wis- 
dom for  the  sake  of  fair-seeming ;  for  by  speech  wisdom 
shall  be  known,  and  instruction  by  the  word  of  the  tongue. 
Speak  not  against  the  truth ;  and  be  abashed  for  thine 
ignorance.  Be  not  ashamed  to  make  confession  of  thy 
sins  ;  and  force  not  the  current  of  the  river.  Lay  not 
thyself  down  for  a  fool  to  tread  upon ;  and  accept  not  the 
person  of  one  that  is  mighty.  Strive  for  the  truth  unto 
death,  and  the  Lord  God  shall  fight  for  thee. 

XV 

Be  not  hasty  in  thy  tongue, 
And  in  thy  deeds  slack  and  remiss. 
23 


Book  I  xvi-xx  -«g  Ecclesiasticus   or 

xvi 

Be  not  as  a  lion  in  thy  house, 
Nor  fanciful  among  thy  servants. 

xvii 

Let  not  thy  hand  be  stretched  out  to  receive, 
And  closed  when  thou  shouldest  repay. 

xviii 

Set  not  thy  heart  upon  thy  goods ; 
And  say  not,  They  are  sufficient  for  me. 

xix 

An  Epigram 

Follow  not  thine  own  mind  and  thy  strength. 
To  walk  in  the  desires  of  thy  heart ; 

And  say  not,  Who  shall  have  dominion  over  me  ? 
For  the  Lord  will  surely  take  vengeance  on  thee. 

XX 

A  Maxim 

Say  not,  ^^  I  sinned,  ajtdwhat  happened  unto  me? 
For  the  Lord  is  longsuffering.'''' 

Concerning  atonement,  be  not  without  fear,  to  add  sin 
upon  sins  ;  and  say  not,  "  His  compassion  is  great,  he  will 

24 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  I  xxi 

be  pacified  for  the  multitude  of  my  sins  : "  for  mercy  and 
wrath  are  with  him,  and  his  indignation  will  rest  upon 
sinners.  Make  no  tarrying  to  turn  to  the  Lord,  and  put 
not  off  from  day  to  day ;  for  suddenly  shall  the  wrath  of 
the  Lord  come  forth,  and  thou  shalt  perish  in  the  time  of 
vengeance.  Set  not  thy  heart  upon  unrighteous  gains ; 
for  thou  shalt  profit  nothing  in  the  day  of  calamity. 


XXI 

Government  of  the  Tongue 

A  Proverb  Cluster 

Winnow  not  with  every  wind, 
And  walk  not  in  every  path  : 
Thus  doeth  the  sinner  that  hath  a  double  tongue. 

Be  stedfast  in  thy  understanding ; 
And  let  thy  word  be  one. 

Be  swift  to  hear ; 

And  with  patience  make  thine  answer. 

If  thou  hast  understanding,  answer  thy  neighbour ; 
And  if  not,  let  thy  hand  be  upon  thy  mouth. 

25 


Book  I  xxii  -^  Ecclesiasticus  or 

Glory  and  dishonour  is  in  talk : 
And  the  tongue  of  a  man  is  his  fall. 


An  Epigram 

Be  not  called  a  whisperer ; 

And  lie  not  in  wait  with  thy  tongue : 

For  upon  the  thief  there  is  shame, 

And  an  evil  condemnation  upon  him  that  hath  a  double 
tongue. 

An  Epigram 

In  a  great  matter  and  in  a  small  be  not  ignorant ; 

And  instead  of  a  friend  become  not  an  enemy ; 
For  an  evil  name  shall  inherit  shame  and  reproach : 
Even  so  shall  the  sinner  that  hath  a  double  tongue. 

xxii 

Self  Will 

A  Maxi7n 

Exalt  not  thyself  in  the  counsel  of  thy  soul; 
That  thy  soul  be  not  torn  in  pieces  as  a  bull. 

Thou  shalt  eat  up  thy  leaves,  and  destroy  thy  fruits,  and 
leave  thyself  as  a  dry  tree.     A  wicked  soul  shall  destroy 

26 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  6^  Book  I  xxiii 

him  that  hath  gotten  it,  and  shall  make  him  a  laughing- 
stock to  his  enemies. 


XXlll 

Friendship 

An  Essay 

Sweet  words  will  multiply  a  man's  friends ;  and  a  fair- 
speaking  tongue  will  multiply  courtesies.  Let  those  that 
are  at  peace  with  thee  be  many ;  but  thy  counsellors  one 
of  a  thousand.  If  thou  wouldest  get  thee  a  friend,  get 
him  by  proving,  and  be  not  in  haste  to  trust  him.  For 
there  is  a  friend  that  is  so  for  his  own  occasion,  and  he 
will  not  continue  in  the  day  of  thy  affliction.  And  there 
is  a  friend  that  turneth  to  enmity ;  and  he  will  discover 
strife  to  thy  reproach.  And  there  is  a  friend  that  is  a 
companion  at  the  table,  and  he  will  not  continue  in  the 
day  of  thy  affliction :  and  in  thy  prosperity  he  will  be 
as  thyself,  and  will  be  bold  over  thy  servants ;  if  thou 
shalt  be  brought  low,  he  will  be  against  thee,  and  will  hide 
himself  from  thy  face.  Separate  thyself  from  thine  ene- 
mies ;  and  beware  of  thy  friends.  A  faithful  friend  is  a 
strong  defence ;  and  he  that  hath  found  him  hath  found 
a  treasure.  There  is  nothing  that  can  be  taken  in  ex- 
change for  a  faithful  friend  ;  and  his  excellency  is  beyond 
price.     A  faithful  friend  is  a  medicine  of  life ;  and  they 

27 


Book  I  xxiv  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

that  fear  the  Lord  shall  find  him.  He  that  feareth  the 
Lord  directeth  his  friendship  aright ;  for  as  he  is,  so  is 
his  neighbour  also. 

xxiv 

The  Pursuit  of  Wisdom 
An  Essay 

My  son,  gather  instruction  from  thy  youth  up :  and  even 
unto  hoar  hairs  thou  shalt  find  wisdom.  Come  unto  her 
as  one  that  ploweth  and  soweth,  and  wait  for  her  good 
fruits ;  for  thy  toil  shall  be  little  in  the  tillage  of  her,  and 
thou  shalt  eat  of  her  fruits  right  soon.  How  exceeding 
harsh  is  she  to  the  unlearned !  And  he  that  is  without 
understanding  will  not  abide  in  her;  as  a  mighty  stone 
of  trial  shall  she  rest  upon  him,  and  he  will  not  delay 
to  cast  her  from  him.  For  wisdom  is  according  to  her 
name ;  and  she  is  not  manifest  unto  many. 

Give  ear,  my  son,  and  accept  my  judgement,  and  refuse 
not  my  counsel,  and  bring  thy  feet  into  her  fetters,  and 
thy  neck  into  her  chain.  Put  thy  shoulder  under  her, 
and  bear  her,  and  be  not  grieved  with  her  bonds.  Come 
unto  her  with  all  thy  soul,  and  keep  her  ways  with  thy 
whole  power.  Search  and  seek,  and  she  shall  be  made 
known  unto  thee ;  and  when  thou  hast  got  hold  of  her, 
let  her  not  go.     For  at  the  last  thou  shalt  find  her  rest ; 

28 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B'^  Book  I  xxv 

and  she  shall  be  turned  for  thee  into  gladness.  And  her 
fetters  shall  be  to  thee  for  a  covering  of  strength,  and 
her  chains  for  a  robe  of  glory  :  for  there  is  a  golden  orna- 
ment upon  her,  and  her  bands  are  a  riband  of  blue ;  thou 
shalt  put  her  on  as  a  robe  of  glory,  and  shalt  array  thee 
with  her  as  a  crown  of  rejoicing. 

My  son,  if  thou  wilt,  thou  shalt  be  instructed ;  and  if 
thou  wilt  yield  thy  soul,  thou  shalt  be  prudent.  If  thou 
love  to  hear,  thou  shalt  receive ;  and  if  thou  incline  thine 
ear,  thou  shalt  be  wise.  Stand  thou  in  the  multitude  of 
the  elders  ;  and  whoso  is  wise,  cleave  thou  unto  him.  Be 
willing  to  listen  to  every  godly  discourse ;  and  let  not  the 
proverbs  of  understanding  escape  thee.  If  thou  seest  a 
man  of  understanding,  get  thee  betimes  unto  him,  and  let 
thy  foot  wear  out  the  steps  of  his  doors.  Let  thy  mind 
dwell  upon  the  ordinances  of  the  Lord,  and  meditate 
continually  in  his  commandments  ;  he  shall  establish  thine 
heart,  and  thy  desire  of  wisdom  shall  be  given  unto  thee. 

XXV 

Sowing  and  Reaping 

An  Epigram 

Do  no  evil, 

So  shall  no  evil  overtake  thee. 
Depart  from  wrong, 
29 


Book  I  xxvi-xxix  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

And  it  shall  turn  aside  from  thee. 
My  son,  sow  not  upon  the  furrows  of  unrighteousness, 
And  thou  shalt  not  reap  them  sevenfold. 

xxvi 

A  Maxim 

Seek  not  of  the  Lord  pree7ninence, 
Neither  of  the  king  the  seat  of  honour. 

Justify  not  thyself  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  and 
display  not  thy  wisdom  before  the  king.  Seek  not  to  be 
a  judge,  lest  thou  be  not  able  to  take  away  iniquities ; 
lest  haply  thou  fear  the  person  of  a  mighty  man,  and 
lay  a  stumblingblock  in  the  way  of  thy  uprightness. 

xxvii 

Sin  not  against  the  multitude  of  the  city, 
And  cast  not  thyself  down  in  the  crowd. 

xxviii 

Bind  not  up  sin  twice  ; 

For  in  one  sin  thou  shalt  not  be  unpunished. 

xxix 

Say  not,  He  will  look  upon  the  multitude  of  my  gifts, 
And  when  I  offer  to  the  most  high  God,  he  will  accept  it. 

3° 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  £^  Book  I  xxx-xxxv 

XXX 

Be  not  fainthearted  in  thy  prayer ; 
And  neglect  not  to  give  alms. 

xxxi 

Laugh  not  a  man  to  scorn  when  he  is  in  the  bitterness 

of  liis  soul ; 
For  there  is  one  who  humbleth  and  exalteth. 

xxxii 

Devise  not  a  lie  against  thy  brother ; 
Neither  do  the  like  to  a  friend. 

xxxiii 

Love  not  to  make  any  manner  of  lie ; 
For  the  custom  thereof  is  not  for  good. 

xxxiv 

Prate  not  in  the  multitude  of  elders ; 
And  repeat  not  thy  words  in  thy  prayer. 

XXXV 

Hate  not  laborious  work ; 

Neither  husbandry,  which  the  Most  High  hath  ordained. 

31 


Book  I  xxxvi-xxxix  -^  Ecclesiasticus    or 

xxxvi 

Number  not  thyself  among  the  multitude  of  sinners  : 
Remember  that  wrath  will  not  tarry. 

xxxvii 

Humble  thy  soul  greatly  ; 

For  the  punishment  of  the  ungodly  man  is  fire  and  the 
worm. 

xxxviii 

Change  not  a  friend  for  a  thing  indifferent ; 
Neither  a  true  brother  for  the  gold  of  Ophir. 

xxxix 

Household  Precepts 

An  Essay 

Forego  not  a  wise  and  good  wife  ;  for  her  grace  is  above 
gold.  Entreat  not  evil  a  servant  that  worketh  truly,  nor 
a  hireling  that  giveth  thee  his  life.  Let  thy  soul  love  a 
wise  servant ;  defraud  him  not  of  liberty.  Hast  thou 
cattle?  have  an  eye  to  them ;  and  if  they  are  profitable  to 
thee,  let  them  stay  by  thee.  Hast  thou  children?  correct 
them,  and  bow  down  their  neck  from  their  youth.  Hast 
thou  daughters?  give  heed  to  their  body,  and  make  not 
thy  face  cheerful  toward  them.  Give  thy  daughter  in 
marriage,  and  thou  shalt  have  accomplished  a  great  mat- 

32 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  d^  Book  I  xl 

ter;  and  give  her  to  a  man  of  understanding.  Hast  thou 
a  wife  after  thy  mind?  cast  her  not  out;  but  trust  not 
thyself  to  one  that  is  hateful.  Give  glory  to  thy  father 
with  thy  whole  heart,  and  forget  not  the  pangs  of  thy 
mother ;  remember  that  of  them  thou  wast  born,  and  what 
wilt  thou  recompense  them  for  the  things  that  they  have 
done  for  thee?  Fear  the  Lord  with  all  thy  soul,  and 
reverence  his  priests ;  with  all  thy  strength  love  him  that 
made  thee,  and  forsake  not  his  ministers.  Fear  the  Lord 
and  glorify  the  priest,  and  give  him  his  portion  even  as 
it  is  commanded  thee :  the  firstfruits,  and  the  trespass 
offering,  and  the  gift  of  the  shoulders,  and  the  sacrifice  of 
sanctification,  and  the  firstfruits  of  holy  things.  Also 
to  the  poor  man  stretch  out  thy  hand,  that  thy  blessing 
may  be  perfected.  A  gift  hath  grace  in  the  sight  of  every 
man  living ;  and  for  a  dead  man  keep  not  back  grace.  Be 
not  wanting  to  them  that  weep,  and  mourn  with  them  that 
mourn.  Be  not  slow  to  visit  a  sick  man,  for  by  such 
things  thou  shalt  gain  love.  In  all  thy  matters  remember 
thy  last  end,  and  thou  shalt  never  do  amiss. 

xl 

Adaptation  of  Behaviour  to  Various  Sorts  of  Men 

An  Essay 

Contend  not  with  a  mighty  man,  lest  haply  thou  fall  into 
his  hands.     Strive  not  with  a  rich  man,  lest  haply  he  over- 
D  33 


Book  Ixl  -sSEcclesiasticusor 

weigh  thee ;  for  gold  hath  destroyed  many,  and  turned 
aside  the  hearts  of  kings.  Contend  not  with  a  man  that 
is  full  of  tongue,  and  heap  not  wood  upon  his  fire.  Jest 
not  with  a  rude  man,  lest  thine  ancestors  be  dishonoured. 
Reproach  not  a  man  when  he  turneth  from  sin ;  remem- 
ber that  we  are  all  worthy  of  punishment.  Dishonour  not 
a  man  in  his  old  age ;  for  some  of  us  also  are  waxing  old. 
Rejoice  not  over  one  that  is  dead ;  remember  that  we 
die  all.  Neglect  not  the  discourse  of  the  wise,  and  be 
conversant  with  their  proverbs ;  for  of  them  thou  shalt 
learn  instruction,  and  how  to  minister  to  great  men.  Miss 
not  the  discourse  of  the  aged  (for  they  also  learned  of 
their  fathers)  ;  because  from  them  thou  shalt  learn  under- 
standing, and  to  give  answer  in  time  of  need.  Kindle 
not  the  coals  of  a  sinner,  lest  thou  be  burned  with  the 
flame  of  his  fire.  Rise  not  up  from  the  presence  of  an 
insolent  man,  lest  he  lie  in  wait  as  an  ambush  for  thy 
mouth.  Lend  not  to  a  man  that  is  mightier  than  thyself; 
and  if  thou  lend,  be  as  one  that  hath  lost.  Be  not  surety 
above  thy  power ;  and  if  thou  be  surety,  take  thought  as 
one  that  will  have  to  pay.  Go  not  to  law  with  a  judge ; 
for  according  to  his  honour  will  they  give  judgement  for 
him.  Go  not  in  the  way  with  a  rash  man,  lest  he  be 
aggrieved  with  thee ;  for  he  will  do  according  to  his  own 
will,  and  thou  shalt  perish  with  his  folly.  Fight  not  with 
a  wrathful  man,  and  travel  not  with  him  through  the  desert ; 
for  blood  is  as  nothing  in  his  sight,  and  where  there  is  no 

34 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  6«-  Book  I  xl 

help  he  will  overthrow  thee.  Take  not  counsel  with  a 
fool ;  for  he  will  not  be  able  to  conceal  the  matter.  Do 
no  secret  thing  before  a  stranger;  for  thou  knowest  not 
what  he  will  bring  forth.  Open  not  thine  heart  to  every 
man ;  and  let  him  not  return  the-  a  favour. 

Be  not  jealous  over  the  wife  of  thy  bosom,  and  teach  her 
not  an  evil  lesson  against  thyself.  Give  not  thy  soul  unto 
a  woman,  that  she  should  set  her  foot  upon  thy  strength. 
Go  not  to  meet  a  woman  that  playeth  the  harlot,  lest 
haply  thou  fall  into  her  snares.  Use  not  the  company  of 
a  woman  that  is  a  singer,  lest  haply  thou  be  caught  by  her 
attempts.  Gaze  not  on  a  maid,  lest  haply  thou  be  trapped 
in  her  penalties.  Give  not  thy  soul  unto  harlots,  that 
thou  lose  not  thine  inheritance.  Look  not  round  about 
thee  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  neither  wander  thou  in  the 
solitary  places  thereof.  Turn  away  thine  eye  from  a 
comely  woman,  and  gaze  not  on  another's  beauty ;  by  the 
beauty  of  a  woman  many  have  been  led  astray,  and  here- 
with love  is  kindled  as  a  fire.  Sit  not  at  all  with  a  woman 
that  hath  a  husband,  and  revel  not  with  her  at  the  wine ; 
lest  haply  thy  soul  turn  aside  unto  her,  and  with  thy  spirit 
thou  slide  into  destruction. 

Forsake  not  an  old  friend,  for  the  new  is  not  compara- 
ble to  him  :  as  new  wine,  so  is  a  new  friend ;  if  it  become 
old,  thou  shalt  drink  it  with  gladness.  Envy  not  the 
glory  of  a  sinner ;  for  thou  knowest  not  what  shall  be  his 
overthrow.     Delight  not  in  the  delights  of  the  ungodly; 

35 


Book  Ixli  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

remember  they  shall  not  go  unpunished  unto  the  grave. 
Keep  thee  far  from  the  man  that  hath  power  to  kill,  and 
thou  shalt  have  no  suspicion  of  the  fear  of  death.  And 
if  thou  come  unto  him,  commit  no  fault,  lest  he  take  away 
thy  life ;  know  surely  that  thou  goest  about  in  the  midst 
of  snares,  and  walkest  upon  the  battlements  of  a  city.  As 
well  as  thou  canst,  guess  at  thy  neighbours ;  and  take 
counsel  with  the  wise.  Let  thy  converse  be  with  men  of 
understanding;  and  let  all  thy  discourse  be  in  the  law 
of  the  Most  High.  Let  just  men  be  the  companions  of 
thy  board ;  and  let  thy  glorifying  be  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord. 

xli 

Wisdom  and  Government 

An  Essay 

For  the  hand  of  the  artificers  a  work  shall  be  com- 
mended :  and  he  that  ruleth  the  people  shall  be  counted 
wise  for  his  speech.  A  man  full  of  tongue  is  dangerous 
in  his  city ;  and  he  that  is  headlong  in  his  speech  shall  be 
hated.  A  wise  judge  will  instruct  his  people  ;  and  the  gov- 
ernment of  a  man  of  understanding  shall  be  well  ordered. 
As  is  the  judge  of  his  people,  so  are  his  ministers ;  and 
as  is  the  ruler  of  the  city,  such  are  all  they  that  dwell 
therein.     An  uninstructed  king  will  destroy  his  people; 

36 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  B^  Book  I  xlii 

and  a  city  will  be  established  through  the  understanding 
of  the  powerful.  In  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  the  authority 
of  the  earth ;  and  in  due  time  he  will  raise  up  over  it  one 
that  is  profitable.  In  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  the  pros- 
perity of  a  man ;  and  upon  the  person  of  the  scribe  shall 
he  lay  his  honour. 

xlii 

Pride  and  True  Greatness 

An  Essay 

Be  not  wroth  with  thy  neighbour  for  every  wrong ;  and 
do  nothing  by  works  of  violence.  Pride  is  hateful  before 
the  Lord  and  before  men ;  and  in  the  judgement  of  both 
will  unrighteousness  err.  Sovereignty  is  transferred  from 
nation  to  nation  because  of  iniquities,  and  deeds  of  vio- 
lence, and  greed  of  money.  Why  is  earth  and  ashes 
proud  because  in  his  life  he  hath  cast  away  his  bowels?  It 
is  a  long  disease ;  the  physician  mocketh :  and  he  is  a 
king  today,  and  tomorrow  he  shall  die.  For  when  a  man 
is  dead,  he  shall  inherit  creeping  things,  and  beasts,  and 
worms.  It  is  the  beginning  of  pride  when  a  man  depart- 
eth  from  the  Lord ;  and  his  heart  is  departed  from  him 
that  made  him.  For  the  beginning  of  pride  is  sin ;  and 
he  that  keepeth  it  will  pour  forth  abomination.  For  this 
cause  the  Lord  brought  upon  them  strange  calamities,  and 


Book  I  xlii  -5g  Ecclesiasticus   or 

overthrew  them  utterly.  The  Lord  cast  down  the  thrones 
of  rulers,  and  set  the  meek  in  their  stead.  The  Lord 
plucked  up  the  roots  of  nations,  and  planted  the  lowly  in 
their  stead.  The  Lord  overthrew  the  lands  of  nations, 
and  destroyed  them  unto  the  foundations  of  the  earth. 
He  took  some  of  them  away,  and  destroyed  them,  and 
made  their  memorial  to  cease  from  the  earth. 

Pride  hath  not  been  created  for  men,  nor  wrathful  anger 
for  the  offspring  of  women. 

What  manner  of  seed  hath  honour? 

The  seed  of  man. 
What  manner  of  seed  hath  honour? 

They  that  fear  the  Lord. 

What  manner  of  seed  hath  no  honour? 

The  seed  of  man. 
What  manner  of  seed  hath  no  honour? 

They  that  transgress  the  commandments. 

In  the  midst  of  brethren  he  that  ruleth  them  hath  honour ; 
and  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  they  that  fear  him.  The  rich 
man  and  the  honourable,  and  the  poor,  their  glorying  is 
the  fear  of  the  Lord.  It  is  not  right  to  dishonour  a  poor 
man  that  hath  understanding;  and  it  is  not  fitting  to 
glorify  a  man  that  is  a  sinner.  The  great  man,  and  the 
judge,  and  the  mighty  man,  shall  be  glorified :  and  there 
is  not  one  of  them  greater  than  he  that  feareth  the  Lord. 

38 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  S«^  Book  I  xlii 

Free  men  shall  minister  unto  a  wise  servant ;  and  a  man 
that  hath  knowledge  will  not  murmur  thereat. 

Be  not  over  wise  in  doing  thy  work.  And  glorify  not 
thyself  in  the  time  of  thy  distress :  better  is  he  that 
laboureth,  and  aboundeth  in  all  things,  than  he  that 
glorifieth  himself  and  lacketh  bread.  My  son,  glorify 
thy  soul  in  meekness,  and  give  it  honour  according  to  the 
worthiness  thereof.  Who  will  justify  him  that  sinneth 
against  his  own  soul.?  and  who  will  glorify  him  that  dis- 
honoureth  his  own  life?  A  poor  man  is  glorified  for  his 
knowledge,  and  a  rich  man  is  glorified  for  his  riches ; 
but  he  that  is  glorified  in  poverty,  how  much  more  in 
riches?  and  he  that  is  inglorious  in  riches,  how  much 
more  in  poverty?  The  wisdom  of  the  lowly  shall  lift  up 
his  head,  and  make  him  to  sit  in  the  midst  of  great  men. 
Commend  not  a  man  for  his  beauty,  and  abhor  not  a  man 
for  his  outward  appearance :  the  bee  is  little  among  such 
as  fly,  and  her  fruit  is  the  chief  of  sweetmeats.  Glory 
not  in  the  putting  on  of  raiment,  and  exalt  not  thyself  in 
the  day  of  honour.  For  the  works  of  the  Lord  are  won- 
derful, and  his  works  are  hidden  among  men :  many  kings 
have  sat  down  upon  the  ground,  and  one  that  was  never 
thought  of  hath  worn  a  diadem ;  many  mighty  men  have 
been  greatly  disgraced,  and  men  of  renown  have  been 
delivered  into  other  men's  hands. 


39 


Book  I  xliii,  xliv  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

xliii 

On  Meddlesomeness 

A  Proverb   Cluster 

Blajne  not  before  tJiou  hast  examined :  understand  first, 
and  then  rebuke.  Answer  not  before  thou  hast  heard; 
and  interrupt  not  in  the  midst  of  speech. 

Strive  not  in  a  matter  that  concerneth  thee  not ; 
And  where  sinners  judge,  sit  not  thou  with  them. 

My  son,  be  not  busy  aboKt  many  matters:  for  if  thou 
meddle  much  thou  shalt  not  be  unpunished;  and  if  thou 
pursue,  thou  shalt  not  overtake ;  and  thou  shalt  not 
escape   by  fleeing. 

xliv 

Prosperity  and  Adversity  are  from  the  Lord 

An  Essay 

There  is  one  that  toileth,  and  laboureth,  and  maketh 
haste,  and  is  so  much  the  more  behind.     There  is  one 

40 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  ^  Book  I  xliv 

that  is  sluggish,  and  hath  need  of  help,  lacking  in 
strength,  and  that  aboundeth  in  poverty ;  and  the  eyes  of 
the  Lord  looked  upon  him  for  good,  and  he  set  him  up 
from  his  low  estate,  and  lifted  up  his  head ;  and  many 
marvelled  at  him.  Good  things  and  evil,  life  and  death, 
poverty  and  riches,  are  from  the  Lord.  The  gift  of  the 
Lord  remaineth  with  the  godly,  and  his  good  pleasure 
shall  prosper  for  ever.  There  is  that  waxeth  rich  by  his 
wariness  and  pinching,  and  this  is  the  portion  of  his 
reward :  when  he  saith,  I  have  found  rest,  and  now  will  I 
eat  of  my  goods  —  yet  he  knoweth  not  what  time  shall 
pass,  and  he  shall  leave  them  to  others,  and  die.  Be  sted- 
fast  in  thy  covenant,  and  be  conversant  therein,  and  wax 
old  in  thy  work.  Marvel  not  at  the  works  of  a  sinner,  but 
trust  the  Lord,  and  abide  in  thy  labour  ;  for  it  is  an  easy 
thing  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  swiftly  on  the  sudden  to 
make  a  poor  man  rich.  The  blessing  of  the  Lord  is  in 
the  reward  of  the  godly ;  and  in  an  hour  that  cometh 
swiftly  he  maketh  his  blessing  to  flourish.  Say  not.  What 
use  is  there  of  me?  And  what  from  henceforth  shall  my 
good  things  be?  Say  not,  I  have  sufficient,  and  from 
henceforth  what  harm  shall  happen  unto  me?  In  the  day 
of  good  things  there  is  a  forgetfulness  of  evil  things ;  and 
in  the  day  of  evil  things  a  man  will  not  remember 
things  that  are  good.  For  it  is  an  easy  thing  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  to  reward  a  man  in  the  day  of  death 
according  to  his  ways.     The  affliction  of  an  hour  causeth 

41 


Book  I  xlv  ^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

forgetfulness  of  delight ;  and  in  the  last  end  of  a  man  is 
the  revelation  of  his  deeds.  Call  no  man  blessed  before 
his  death ;  and  a  man  shall  be  known  in  his  children. 

xlv 

Choice  of  Company 
Aft  Essay 

Bring  not  every  man  into  thine  house ;  for  many  are  the 
plots  of  the  deceitful  man.  As  a  decoy  partridge  in  a 
cage,  so  is  the  heart  of  a  proud  man ;  and  as  one  that  is  a 
spy,  he  looketh  upon  thy  falling.  For  he  lieth  in  wait  to 
turn  things  that  are  good  into  evil ;  and  in  things  that  are 
praiseworthy  he  will  lay  blame.  From  a  spark  of  fire  a 
heap  of  many  coals  is  kindled ;  and  a  sinful  man  lieth  in 
wait  for  blood.  Take  heed  of  an  evil-doer,  for  he  con- 
triveth  wicked  things ;  lest  haply  he  bring  upon  thee 
blame  for  ever.  Receive  a  stranger  into  thine  house,  and 
he  will  distract  thee  with  brawls,  and  estrange  thee  from 
thine  own. 

If  thou  do  good,  know  to  whom  thou  doest  it ;  and  thy 
good  deeds  shall  have  thanks.  Do  good  to  a  godly  man, 
and  thou  shalt  find  a  recompense ;  and  if  not  from  him, 
yet  from  the  Most  High.  There  shall  no  good  come  to 
him  that  continueth  to  do  evil,  nor  to  him  that  giveth  no 
alms.     Give  to  the  godly  man,  and  help  not  the  sinner. 

42 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S^  Book  I  xlv 

Do  good  to  one  that  is  lowly,  and  give  not  to  an  ungodly 
man ;  keep  back  his  bread,  and  give  it  not  to  him,  lest  he 
overmaster  thee  thereby ;  for  thou  shalt  receive  twice  as 
much  evil  for  all  the  good  thou  shalt  have  done  unto  him. 
For  the  Most  High  also  hateth  sinners,  and  will  repay 
vengeance  unto  the  ungodly.  Give  to  the  good  man,  and 
help  not  the  sinner. 

A  man's  friend  will  not  be  fully  tried  in  prosperity ;  and 
his  enemy  will  not  be  hidden  in  adversity.  In  a  man's 
prosperity  his  enemies  are  grieved ;  and  in  his  adversity 
even  his  friend  will  be  separated  from  him.  Never  trust 
thine  enemy,  for  like  as  the  brass  rusteth,  so  is  his  wicked- 
ness :  though  he  humble  himself,  and  go  crouching,  yet 
take  good  heed,  and  beware  of  him,  and  thou  shalt  be 
unto  him  as  one  that  hath  wiped  a  mirror,  and  thou  shalt 
know  that  he  hath  not  utterly  rusted  it.  Set  him  not  by 
thee,  lest  he  overthrow  thee  and  stand  in  thy  place ;  let 
him  not  sit  on  thy  right  hand,  lest  he  seek  to  take  thy 
seat,  and  at  the  last  thou  acknowledge  my  words,  and 
be  pricked  with  my  sayings.  Who  will  pity  a  charmer 
that  is  bitten  with  a  serpent  ?  or  any  that  come  nigh  wild 
beasts  ?  Even  so  who  will  pity  him  that  goeth  to  a 
sinner,  and  is  mingled  with  him  in  his  sins?  For  a  while 
he  will  abide  with  thee,  and  if  thou  give  way,  he  will  not 
hold  out.  And  the  enemy  will  speak  sweetly  with  his 
lips,  and  in  his  heart  take  counsel  how  to  overthrow  thee 
into  a  pit ;  the  enemy  will  weep  with  his  eyes,  and  if  he 

43 


Book  I  xlv  -5g  Ecclesiasticus   or 

find  opportunity,  he  will  not  be  satiated  with  blood.  If 
adversity  meet  thee,  thou  shalt  find  him  there  before  thee ; 
and  as  though  he  would  help  thee,  he  will  trip  up  thy  heel. 
He  will  shake  his  head,  and  clap  his  hands,  and  whisper 
much,  and  change  his  countenance. 

He  that  toucheth  pitch  shall  be  defiled  ;  and  he  that  hath 
fellowship  with  a  proud  man  shall  become  like  unto  him. 
Take  not  up  a  burden  above  thy  strength ;  and  have  no 
fellowship  with  one  that  is  mightier  and  richer  than  thy- 
self. What  fellowship  shall  the  earthen  pot  have  with 
the  kettle?  this  shall  smite,  and  that  shall  be  dashed  in 
pieces.  The  rich  man  doeth  a  wrong,  and  he  threateneth 
withal :  the  poor  is  wronged,  and  he  shall  entreat  withal. 
If  thou  be  profitable,  he  will  make  merchandise  of  thee ; 
and  if  thou  be  in  want,  he  will  forsake  thee.  If  thou  have 
substance,  he  will  live  with  thee ;  and  he  will  make  thee 
bare,  and  will  not  be  sorry.  Hath  he  had  need  of  thee  ? 
then  he  will  deceive  thee,  and  smile  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  hope :  he  will  speak  thee  fair,  and  say.  What  needest 
thou?  and  he  will  shame  thee  by  his  meats,  until  he  have 
made  thee  bare  twice  or  thrice.  And  at  the  last  he  will 
laugh  thee  to  scorn ;  afterward  will  he  see  thee,  and  will 
forsake  thee,  and  shake  his  head  at  thee.  Beware  that 
thou  be  not  deceived,  and  brought  low  in  thy  mirth.  If  a 
mighty  man  invite  thee,  be  retiring,  and  so  much  the  more 
will  he  invite  thee.  Press  not  upon  him,  lest  thou  be 
thrust  back  ;  and  stand  not  far  off,  lest  thou  be  forgotten. 

44 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  8«-  Book  I  xlv 

Affect  not  to  speak  with  him  as  an  equal,  and  believe  not 
his  many  words :  for  with  much  talk  will  he  try  thee,  and 
in  a  smiling  manner  will  search  thee  out.  He  that  keepeth 
not  to  himself  words  spoken  is  unmerciful ;  and  he  will  not 
spare  to  hurt  and  to  bind.  Keep  them  to  thyself,  and  take 
earnest  heed,  for  thou  walkest  in  peril  of  thy  falling. 

Every  living  creature  loveth  his  like,  and  every  man 
loveth  his  neighbour.  All  flesh  consorteth  according  to 
kind,  and  a  man  will  cleave  to  his  like.  What  fellowship 
shall  the  wolf  have  with  the  lamb  ?  so  is  the  sinner  unto 
the  godly.  What  peace  is  there  between  the  hyena  and 
the  dog?  and  what  peace  between  the  rich  man  and  the 
poor?  Wild  asses  are  the  prey  of  lions  in  the  wilderness  ; 
so  poor  men  are  pasture  for  the  rich.  Lowliness  is  an 
abomination  to  a  proud  man ;  so  a  poor  man  is  an  abomi- 
nation to  the  rich.  A  rich  man  when  he  is  shaken  is  held 
up  of  his  friends ;  but  one  of  low  degree  being  down  is 
thrust  away  also  by  his  friends.  When  a  rich  man  is 
fallen,  there  are  many  helpers ;  he  speaketh  things  not 
to  be  spoken,  and  men  justify  him :  a  man  of  low  degree 
falleth,  and  men  rebuke  him  withal ;  he  uttereth  wisdom, 
and  no  place  is  allowed  him.  A  rich  man  speaketh,  and 
.all  keep  silence ;  and  what  he  saith  they  extol  to  the 
clouds  :  a  poor  man  speaketh,  and  they  say,  Who  is  this? 
and  if  he  stumble,  they  will  help  to  overthrow  him.  Riches 
are  good  that  have  no  sin  ;  and  poverty  is  evil  in  the 
mouth  of  the  ungodly. 

45 


Book  I  xlvi-xlix  -sg  Ecclesiasticus   or 

xlvi 

The  heart  of  a  man  changeth  his  countenance, 
Whether  it  be  for  good  or  for  evil. 

xlvii 

A  cheerful  countenance  is  a  token  of  a  heart  that  is  in 

prosperity ; 
And  the  finding  out  of  parables  is  a  weariness  of  thinking. 

xlviii 

An  Epigram 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  hath  not  slipped  with  his  mouth, 
And  is  not  pricked  with  sorrow  for  sins. 

Blessed  is  he  whose  soul  doth  not  condemn  him, 

And  who  is  not  fallen  from  his  hope. 

xlix 

Niggardliness 

All  Essay 

Riches  are  not  comely  for  a  niggard ;  and  what  should 
an  envious  man  do  with  money?  He  that  gathereth  by 
taking  from  his  own  soul  gathereth  for  others  ;  and  others 
shall  revel  in  his  goods.     He  that  is  evil  to  himself,  to 

46 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S^  Book  I  xlix 

whom  will  he  be  good?  and  he  shall  not  rejoice  in  his 
possessions.  There  is  none  more  evil  than  he  that  envi- 
eth  himself;  and  this  is  a  recompense  of  his  wickedness. 
Even  if  he  doeth  good,  he  doeth  it  in  forgetfulness ;  and 
at  the  last  he  sheweth  forth  his  wickedness.  Evil  is  he 
that  envieth  v.-ith  his  eye,  turning  away  the  face,  and  de- 
spising the  souls  of  men.  A  covetous  man's  eye  is  not 
satisfied  with  his  portion ;  and  wicked  injustice  drieth  up 
his  soul.  An  evil  eye  is  grudging  of  bread,  and  he  is 
miserly  at  his  table. 

My  son,  according  as  thou  hast,  do  well  unto  thyself, 
and  bring  offerings  unto  the  Lord  worthily.  Remember 
that  death  will  not  tarry,  and  that  the  covenant  of  the 
grave  is  not  shewed  unto  thee.  Do  well  unto  thy  friend 
before  thou  die ;  and  according  to  thy  ability  stretch  out 
thy  hand  and  give  to  him.  Defraud  not  thyself  of  a  good 
day ;  and  let  not  the  portion  of  a  good  desire  pass  thee 
by.  Shalt  thou  not  leave  thy  labours  unto  another?  and 
thy  toils  to  be  divided  by  lot?  Give,  and  take,  and  beguile 
thy  soul ;  for  there  is  no  seeking  of  luxury  in  the  grave. 
All  flesh  waxeth  old  as  a  garment ;  for  the  covenant  from 
the  beginning  is,  Thou  shalt  die  the  death.  As  of  the 
leaves  flourishing  on  a  thick  tree,  some  it  sheddeth,  and 
some  it  maketh  to  grow :  so  also  of  the  generations  of 
flesh  and  blood,  one  cometh  to  an  end,  and  another  is 
born.  Every  work  rotteth  and  falleth  away,  and  the 
worker  thereof  shall  depart  with  it. 

47 


Book  II  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

1 

The  Pursuer  of  Wisdom  and  his  Reward 

An  Essay 

Blessed  is  the  man  that  shall  meditate  in  wisdom,  and 
that  shall  discourse  by  his  understanding.  He  that  con- 
sidereth  her  ways  in  his  heart  shall  also  have  knowledge 
in  her  secrets.  Go  forth  after  her  as  one  that  tracketh,  and 
lie  in  wait  in  her  ways ;  he  that  prieth  in  at  her  windows 
shall  also  hearken  at  her  doors ;  he  that  lodgeth  close  to 
her  house  shall  also  fasten  a  nail  in  her  walls.  He  shall 
pitch  his  tent  nigh  at  hand  to  her,  and  shall  lodge  in  a 
lodging  where  good  things  are.  He  shall  set  his  children 
under  her  shelter,  and  shall  rest  under  her  branches.  By 
her  he  shall  be  covered  from  heat,  and  shall  lodge  in  her 
glory. 

He  that  feareth  the  Lord  will  do  this ;  and  he  that  hath 
possession  of  the  law  shall  obtain  her.  And  as  a  mother 
shall  she  meet  him,  and  receive  him  as  a  wife  married  in 
her  virginity.  With  bread  of  understanding  shall  she  feed 
him,  and  give  him  water  of  wisdom  to  drink.  He  shall  be 
stayed  upon  her,  and  shall  not  be  moved ;  and  shall  rely 
upon  her,  and  shall  not  be  confounded.  And  she  shall 
exalt  him  above  his  neighbours ;  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
congregation  shall  she  open  his  mouth.     He  shall  inherit 

48 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B«-  Book  I  li 

joy,  and  a  crown  of  gladness,  and  an  everlasting  name. 
Foolish  men  shall  not  obtain  her;  and  sinners  shall  not 
see  her.  She  is  far  from  pride  ;  and  liars  shall  not  remem- 
ber her.  Praise  is  not  comely  in  the  mouth  of  a  sinner ; 
for  it  was  not  sent  him  from  the  Lord.  For  praise  shall 
be  spoken  in  wisdom,  and  the  Lord  will  prosper  it. 


li 

On  Free  Will 

All  Essay 

Say  not  thou,  It  is  through  the  Lord  that  I  fell  away ; 
for  thou  shalt  not  do  the  things  that  he  hateth.  Say  not 
thou.  It  is  he  that  caused  me  to  err ;  for  he  hath  no  need 
of  a  sinful  man.  The  Lord  hateth  every  abomination ; 
and  they  that  fear  him  love  it  not.  He  himself  made  man 
from  the  beginning,  and  left  him  in  the  hand  of  his  own 
counsel.  If  thou  wilt,  thou  shalt  keep  the  commandments  ; 
and  to  perform  faithfulness  is  of  thine  own  good  pleasure. 
He  hath  set  fire  and  water  before  thee  :  thou  shalt  stretch 
forth  thy  hand  unto  whichsoever  thou  wilt.  Before  man 
is  life  and  death ;  and  whichsoever  he  liketh,  it  shall  be 
given  him.  For  great  is  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord :  he  is 
mighty  in  power,  and  beholdeth  all  things ;  and  his  eyes 
are  upon  them  that  fear  him  ;  and  he  will  take  knowledge 
E  49 


Book  I  Hi  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

of  every  work  of  man.  He  hath  not  commanded  any  man 
to  be  ungodly ;  and  he  hath  not  given  any  man  license 
to  sin. 

lii 

No  Safety  for  Sinners 

An  Essay 

Desire  not  a  multitude  of  unprofitable  children,  neither 
delight  in  ungodly  sons.  If  they  multiply,  delight  not  in 
them,  except  the  fear  of  the  Lord  be  with  them.  Trust 
not  thou  in  their  life,  neither  rely  on  their  condition :  for 
one  is  better  than  a  thousand,  and  to  die  childless  than 
to  have  ungodly  children.  For  from  one  that  hath  under- 
standing shall  a  city  be  peopled  ;  but  a  race  of  wicked  men 
shall  be  made  desolate.  Many  such  things  have  I  seen 
with  mine  eyes  ;  and  mine  ear  hath  heard  mightier  things 
than  these.  In  the  congregation  of  sinners  shall  a  fire  be 
kindled ;  and  in  a  disobedient  nation  wrath  is  kindled. 
He  was  not  pacified  toward  the  giants  of  old  time,  who 
revolted  in  their  strength  ;  he  spared  not  those  with  whom 
Lot  sojourned,  whom  he  abhorred  for  their  pride ;  he  pit- 
ied not  the  people  of  perdition,  who  were  taken  away  in 
their  sins ;  and  in  like  manner  the  six  hundred  thousand 
footmen,  who  were  gathered  together  in  the  hardness  of 

50 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  I  Hi 

their  hearts.  Even  if  there  be  one  stiffnecked  person,  it 
is  marvel  if  he  shall  be  unpunished  :  for  mercy  and  wrath 
are  with  him  ;  he  is  mighty  to  forgive,  and  he  poureth  out 
wrath  ;  as  his  mercy  is  great,  so  is  his  correction  also  ;  he 
judgeth  a  man  according  to  his  works.  The  sinner  shall 
not  escape  with  his  plunder ;  and  the  patience  of  the  godly 
shall  not  be  frustrate.  He  will  make  room  for  every  work 
of  mercy ;  each  man  shall  find  according  to  his  works. 

Say  not  thou,  "  I  shall  be  hidden  from  the  Lord  ;  and  who 
shall  remember  me  from  on  high  ?  I  shall  not  be  known 
among  so  many  people ;  for  what  is  ray  soul  in  a  bound- 
less creation?"  Behold,  the  heaven,  and  the  heaven  of 
heavens,  the  deep,  and  the  earth,  shall  be  moved  when 
he  shall  visit ;  the  mountains  and  foundations  of  the  earth 
together  are  shaken  with  trembling  when  he  looketh  upon 
them.  And  no  heart  shall  think  upon  these  things :  and 
who  shall  conceive  his  ways?  And  there  is  a  tempest 
which  no  man  shall  see ;  yea,  the  more  part  of  his  works 
are  hid.  —  "  Who  shall  declare  the  works  of  his  righteous- 
ness ?  or  who  shall  endure  them  ?  for  his  covenant  is  afar 
off."  —  He  that  is  wanting  in  understanding  thinketh  upon 
these  things ;  and  an  unwise  and  erring  man  thinketh 
follies. 


51 


Book  I  liii  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

liii 

God's  Work  of  Creation  and  Restoration 

An  Essay 

My  son,  hearken  unto  me,  and  learn  knowledge,  and 
give  heed  to  my  words  with  thy  heart.  I  will  shew  forth 
instruction  by  weight,  and  declare  knowledge  exactly. 

In  the  judgement  of  the  Lord  are  his  works  from  the 
beginning ;  and  from  the  making  of  them  he  disposed  the 
parts  thereof. 

He  garnished  his  works  for  ever, 

And  the  beginnings  of  them  unto  their  generations ; 
They  neither  hunger,  nor  are  weary. 

And  they  cease  not  from  their  works. 
No  one  thrusteth  aside  his  neighbour ; 

And  they  shall  never  disobey  his  word. 

After  this  also  the  Lord  looked  upon  the  earth,  and  filled 
it  with  his  blessings.  All  manner  of  living  things  covered 
the  face  thereof;  and  into  it  is  their  return. 

The  Lord  created  man  of  the  earth,  and  turned  him 
back  unto  it  again.  He  gave  them  days  by  number,  and  a 
set  time,  and  gave  them  authority  over  the  things  that  are 
thereon.  He  endued  them  with  strength  proper  to  them  ; 
and  made  them  according  to  his  own  image.     He  put  the 

52 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  6«-  Book  I  liii 

fear  of  man  upon  all  flesh,  and  gave  him  to  have  dominion 
over  beasts  and  fowls.  Counsel,  and  tongue,  and  eyes, 
ears,  and  heart,  gave  he  them  to  understand  withal.  He 
filled  them  with  the  knowledge  of  wisdom,  and  shewed 
them  good  and  evil. 

He  set  his  eye  upon  their  hearts, 
To  shew  them  the  majesty  of  his  works ; 

And  they  shall  praise  the  name  of  his  hoHness, 
That  they  may  declare  the  majesty  of  his  works. 

He  added  unto  them  knowledge, 
And  gave  them  a  law  of  life  for  a  heritage. 

He  made  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them,  and  shewed 
them  his  judgements.  Their  eyes  saw  the  majesty  of  his 
glory ;  and  their  ear  heard  the  glory  of  his  voice.  And  he 
said  unto  them,  Beware  of  all  unrighteousness ;  and  he 
gave  them  commandment,  each  man  concerning  his  neigh- 
bour. Their  ways  are  ever  before  him ;  they  shall  not  be 
hid  from  his  eyes. 

For  every  nation  he  appointed  a  ruler ; 

And  Israel  is  the  Lord's  portion. 
All  their  works  are  as  the  sun  before  him ; 

And  his  eyes  are  continually  upon  their  ways. 
Their  iniquities  are  not  hid  from  him ; 

And  all  their  sins  are  before  the  Lord. 
With  him  the  alms  of  a  man  is  as  a  signet ; 

And  he  will  keep  the  bounty  of  a  man  as  the  apple  of  the 
eye. 

S3 


Book  I  liii  -^  Eccl esia sticus   or 

Afterwards  he  will  rise  up   and   recompense   them,  and 
render  their  recompense  upon  their  head. 

Howbeit  unto  them  that  repent  he  granteth  a  return ; 
and  he  comforteth  them  that  are  losing  patience.  Return 
unto  the  Lord,  and  forsake  sins ;  make  thy  prayer  before 
his  face,  and  lessen  the  offence.  Turn  again  to  the  Most 
High,  and  turn  away  from  iniquity ;  and  greatly  hate  the 
abominable  thing.  Who  shall  give  praise  to  the  Most 
High  in  the  grave,  instead  of  them  which  live  and  return 
thanks?  Thanksgiving  perisheth  from  the  dead,  as  from 
one  that  is  not :  he  that  is  in  life  and  health  shall  praise 
the  Lord.  How  great  is  the  mercy  of  the  Lord,  and  his 
forgiveness  unto  them  that  turn  unto  him!  P"or  all  things 
cannot  be  in  men,  because  the  son  of  man  is  not  immortal. 

What  is  brighter  than  the  sun?  yet  this  faileth: 
And  an  evil  man  will  think  on  flesh  and  blood. 

He  looketh  upon  the  power  of  the  height  of  heaven: 
And  all  men  are  earth  and  ashes. 

He  that  liveth  for  ever  created  all  things  in  common. 
The  Lord  alone  shall  be  justified.  To  none  hath  he  given 
power  to  declare  his  works :  and  who  shall  trace  out  his 
mighty  deeds?  Who  shall  number  the  strength  of  his 
majesty?  and  who  shall  also  tell  out  his  mercies?  As  for 
the  wondrous  works  of  the  Lord,  it  is  not  possible  to  take 
from  them  nor  add  to  them,  neither  is  it  possible  to  track 
them  out :  when  a  man  hath  finished,  then  he  is  but  at  the 

54 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  B^  Book  I  liv 

beginning;  and  when  he  ceaseth,  then  shall  he  be  in 
perplexity. 

What  is  man? 

And  whereto  serveth  he? 
What  is  his  good? 

And  what  is  his  evil? 
The  number  of  man's  days  at  the  most  are  a  hundred  years: 

As  a  drop  of  water  from  the  sea, 

And  a  pebble  from  the  sand, 
So  are  a  few  years  in  the  day  of  eternity. 

For  this  cause  the  Lord  was  longsuffering  over  them,  and 
poured  out  his  mercy  upon  them.  He  saw  and  perceived 
their  end,  that  it  is  evil ;  therefore  he  multiplied  his  forgive- 
ness. The  mercy  of  a  man  is  upon  his  neighbour;  but 
the  mercy  of  the  Lord  is  upon  all  flesh :  reproving  and 
chastening,  and  teaching,  and  bringing  again,  as  a  shep- 
herd doth  his  flock.  He  hath  mercy  on  them  that  accept 
chastening,  and   that  diligently  seek  after  his  judgements. 


liv 

On  Graciousness 

A  Proverb  Cluster 

My  son,  to  thy  good  deeds  add  no  blemish ; 
And  no  grief  of  words  in  any  of  thy  giving. 

55 


Book  I  Iv  -^  Ecclesiasticus  or 

Shall  not  the  dew  assuage  the  scorching  heat? 
So  is  a  word  better  than  a  gift. 

Lo,  is  not  a  word  better  than  a  gift  ? 
And  both  are  with  a  gracious  man. 

A  fool  will  upbraid  ungraciously ; 

And  the  gift  of  an  envious  man  consumeth  the  eyes. 


Iv 

On  Taking  Heed  in  Time 

An  Essay 

Learn  before  thou  speak  ;  and  have  a  care  of  thy  health 
or  ever  thou  be  sick.  Before  judgement  examine  thyself; 
and  in  the  hour  of  visitation  thou  shalt  find  forgiveness. 
Humble  thyself  before  thou  be  sick ;  and  in  the  time  of 
sins  shew  repentance.  Let  nothing  hinder  thee  to  pay 
thy  vow  in  due  time ;  and  wait  not  until  death  to  be  justi- 
fied. Before  thou  makest  a  vow,  prepare  thyself;  and  be 
not  as  a  man  that  tempteth  the  Lord.  Think  upon  the 
wrath  that  shall  be  in  the  days  of  the  end,  and  the  time 
of  vengeance,  when  he  turneth  away  his  face.      In  the 

56 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-  Book  I  Ivi-lviii 

days  of  fulness  remember  the  time  of  hunger,  and  poverty 
and  want  in  the  days  of  weahh.  From  morning  until 
evening  the  time  changeth ;  and  all  things  are  speedy 
before  the  Lord.  A  wise  man  will  fear  in  everything ;  and 
in  days  of  sinning  he  will  bev/are  of  offence. 


Ivi 

Every  man  of  understanding  knoweth  wisdom  ; 
And  he  will  give  thanks  unto  him  that  found  her. 


Ivii 

They  that  were  of  understanding  in  sayings 
Became  also  wise  themselves, 
And  poured  forth  apt  proverbs. 


Iviii 

Three  Temperance  Maxims 

Go  not  after  thy  lusts ; 

And  refrain  thyself  from  thine  appetites. 

If  thou  give  fully  to  thy  soul  the  delight  of  her  desire, 
she  will  make  thee  the  laughingstock  of  thine  enemies. 

57 


Book  I  lix  -98  Ecclesiasticus   or 

Make  not  vierry  in  nmch  luxury ; 
Neither  be  tied  to  the  expense  thereof. 

Be  not  made  a  beggar  by  banqueting  upon  borrowing, 
when  thou  hast  nothing  in  thy  purse.  A  workman  that 
is  a  drunkard  shall  not  become  rich. 


He  that  despiseth  small  things 
Shall  fall  by  little  and  little. 

Wine  and  women  will  make  men  of  understanding  to 
fall  away :  and  he  that  cleaveth  to  harlots  will  be  the  more 
reckless.  Moths  and  worms  shall  have  him  to  heritage; 
and  a  reckless  soul  shall  be  taken  away. 


lix 

Against  Gossip 

An  Essay 

He  that  is  hasty  to  trust  is  lightminded ;  and  he  that 
sinneth  shall  offend  against  his  own  soul.  He  that  maketh 
merry  in  his  heart  shall  be  condemned  :  and  he  that  hateth 
talk  hath  the  less  wickedness.  Never  repeat  what  is  told 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  fare  never  the  worse.    Whether  it  be 

58 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  I  Ix 

of  friend  or  foe,  tell  it  not ;  and  unless  it  is  a  sin  to  thee, 
reveal  it  not :  for  he  hath  heard  thee,  and  observed  thee, 
and  when  the  time  cometh  he  will  hate  thee.  Hast  thou 
heard  a  w^ord  ?  let  it  die  with  thee :  be  of  good  courage, 
it  will  not  burst  thee.  A  fool  will  travail  in  pain  with  a 
word,  as  a  woman  in  labour  with  a  child.  As  an  arrow 
that  sticketh  in  the  flesh  of  the  thigh,  so  is  a  word  in  a 
fool's  belly.  Reprove  a  friend :  it  may  be  he  did  it  not, 
and  if  he  did  something,  that  he  may  do  it  no  more.  Re- 
prove thy  neighbour :  it  may  be  he  said  it  not,  and  if  he 
hath  said  it,  that  he  may  not  say  it  again.  Reprove  a 
friend,  for  many  times  there  is  slander ;  and  trust  not 
every  word.  There  is  one  that  slippeth,  and  not  from 
the  heart ;  and  who  is  he  that  hath  not  sinned  with  his 
tongue?  Reprove  thy  neighbour  before  thou  threaten 
him ;  and  give  place  to  the  law  of  the  Most  High. 


Ix 

Wisdom  and  its  Counterfeits 

A7t  Essay 

All  wisdom  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord ;  and  in  all  wisdom 
is  the  doing  of  the  law.  And  the  knowledge  of  wicked- 
ness is  not  wisdom ;  and  the  prudence  of  sinners  is  not 

59 


Book  I  Ix  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

counsel.  There  is  a  wickedness  and  the  same  is  abomina- 
tion, and  there  is  a  fool  wanting  in  wisdom :  better  is  one 
that  hath  small  understanding  and  feareth,  than  one  that 
hath  much  prudence  and  transgresseth  the  law. 

There  is  an  exquisite  subtilty,  and  the  same  is  unjust ; 
and  there  is  one  that  perverteth  favour  to  gain  a  judge- 
ment. There  is  one  that  doeth  wickedly,  that  hangeth 
down  his  head  with  mourning ;  but  inwardly  he  is  full  of 
deceit,  bowing  down  his  face,  and  making  as  if  he  were 
deaf  of  one  ear :  where  he  is  not  known,  he  will  be  before- 
hand with  thee.  And  if  for  want  of  power  he  be  hindered 
from  sinning,  if  he  find  opportunity,  he  will  do  mischief. 
A  man  shall  be  known  by  his  look,  and  one  that  hath 
understanding  shall  be  known  by  his  face,  when  thou 
meetest  him  ;  a  man's  attire,  and  grinning  laughter,  and 
gait,  shew  what  he  is. 

There  is  a  reproof  that  is  not  comely ;  and  there  is  a 
man  that  keepeth  silence,  and  he  is  wise.  How  good  is 
it  to  reprove,  rather  than  to  be  wroth  ;  and  he  that  maketh 
confession  shall  be  kept  back  from  hurt.  As  is  the  lust  of 
an  eunuch  to  deflower  a  virgin ;  so  is  he  that  executeth 
judgements  with  violence. 

There  is  one  that  keepeth  silence,  and  is  found  wise ; 
and  there  is  one  that  is  hated  for  his  much  talk.  There 
is  one  that  keepeth  silence,  for  he  hath  no  answer  to 
make ;  and  there  is  that  keepeth  silence,  as  knowing  his 
time.     A  wise  man  will  be  silent  till  his  time  come  ;  but  the 

60 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  S>-  Book  I  Ixi 

braggart  and  fool  will  overpass  his  time.  He  that  useth 
many  words  shall  be  abhorred  ;  and  he  that  taketh  to  him- 
self authority  therein  shall  be  hated. 

There  is  a  prosperity  that  a  man  findeth  in  misfortunes  ; 
and  there  is  a  gain  that  turneth  to  loss.  There  is  a  gift 
that  shall  not  profit  thee ;  and  there  is  a  gift  whose  recom- 
pense is  double.  There  is  an  abasement  because  of  glory  ; 
and  there  is  that  hath  lifted  up  his  head  from  a  low  estate. 
There  is  that  buyeth  much  for  a  little,  and  payeth  for  it 
again  sevenfold. 

He  that  is  wise  in  words  shall  make  himself  beloved ; 
but  the  pleasantries  of  fools  shall  be  wasted. 


Ixi 

A  Maxi7n 

The  gift  of  a  fool  shall  not  profit  thee; 
For  his  eyes  are  many  instead  of  07ie. 

He  will  give  little  and  upbraid  much,  and  he  will  open 
his  mouth  like  a  crier ;  today  he  will  lend,  and  tomorrow 
he  will  ask  it  again  :  such  an  one  is  a  hateful  man. 


6z 


Book  I  Ixii-lxvi  ^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

Ixii 

An  Epigram 

The  fool  will  say,  I  have  no  friend, 

And  I  have  no  thanks  for  my  good  deeds ; 

They  that  eat  my  bread  are  of  evil  tongue. 

How  oft,  and  of  how  many,  shall  he  be  laughed  to  scorn! 

Ixiii 

A  slip  on  a  pavement  is  better  than  a  slip  with  the  tongue ; 
So  the  fall  of  the  wicked  shall  come  speedily. 

Ixiv 

A  man  without  grace  is  as  a  tale  out  of  season ; 
It  will  be  continually  in  the  mouth  of  the  ignorant. 

Ixv 

A  wise  sentence  from  a  fool's  mouth  will  be  rejected ; 
For  he  will  not  speak  it  in  its  season. 

Ixvi 

There  is  that  is  hindered  from  sinning  through  want; 
And  when  he  taketh  rest,  he  shall  not  be  troubled. 

62 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S?-  Book  I  Ixvii-lxxi 

Ixvii 

There  is  that  destroyeth  his  soul  through  bashfulness ; 
And  by  a  foolish  countenance  he  will  destroy  it. 

Ixviii 

There  is  that  for  bashfulness  promiseth  to  his  friend ; 
And  he  maketh  him  his  enemy  for  nothing. 

Ixix 

A  Maxim 

A  lie  is  afoul  blot  in  a  man : 

It  will  be  continually  in  the  jnouth  of  the  ignorant. 

A  thief  is  better  than  a  man  that  is  continually  lying ; 
but  they  both  shall  inherit  destruction.  The  disposition 
of  a  liar  is  dishonour ;  and  his  shame  is  with  him  con- 
tinually. 

Ixx 

He  that  is  wise  in  words  shall  advance  himself; 
And  one  that  is  prudent  will  please  great  men. 

Ixxi 

He  that  tilleth  his  land  shall  raise  his  heap  high ; 
And  he  that  pleaseth  great   men   shall   get   pardon   for 
iniquity. 

63 


Book  I  Ixxii-lxxiv  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

Ixxii 

Presents  and  gifts  blind  the  eyes  of  the  wise, 
And  as  a  muzzle  on  the  mouth  turn  away  reproofs. 


Ixxiii 

An  Epigram 

Wisdom  that  is  hid, 
And  treasure  that  is  out  of  sight, 
What  profit  is  in  them  both? 
Better  is  a  man  that  hideth  his  folly 
Than  a  man  that  hideth  his  wisdom. 

Ixxiv 

Sin  and  its  Judgement 

A  Proverb   Cluster 

My  son,  hast  thou  sinned  ?  add  no  more  thereto ; 
And  make  supplication  for  thy  former  sins. 

Flee  from  sin  as  from  the  face  of  a  serpent:  for  if  thou 
draw  nigh  it  will  bite  thee :  the  teeth  thereof  are  the  teeth 
of  a  lion,  slaying  the  souls  of  men. 

64 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  d^  Book  I  Ixxiv 

All  iniquity  is  as  a  two-edged  sword ; 
Its  stroke  hath  no  healing. 


^ 


Terror  and  violence  will  lay  waste  riches ; 

So  the  house  of  a  haughty  man  shall  be  laid  waste. 


* 


Supplication  from  a  poor  man's  mouth  reacheth  to  the  ears 

of  God, 
And  his  judgement  cometh  speedily. 


One  that  hateth  reproof  is  in  the  path  of  the  sinner ; 
And  he  that  feareth  the  Lord  will  turn  again  in  his  heart. 


He  that  is  mighty  in  tongue  is  know^n  afar  off: 

But  the  man  of  understanding  knoweth  when  he  slippeth. 

He  that  buildeth  his  house  with  other  men's  money 

Is  like  one  that  gathereth  himself  stones  against  winter. 

The  congregation  of  wicked  men  is  as  tow  wrapped  to- 
gether ; 
And  the  end  of  them  is  a  flame  of  fire. 
F  65 


Book  I  Ixxv  -53  Ecclesiasticus  or 

The  way  of  sinners  is  made  smooth  with  stones ; 
And  at  the  last  end  thereof  is  the  pit  of  Hades. 


Ixxv 

Wise  Men  and  Fools 

A  Proverb  Cluster 

He  that  keepeth  the  law  becometh  master  of  the  intent 

thereof; 
And  the  end  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  wisdom. 
He  that  is  not  clever  will  not  be  instructed ; 
And  there  is  a  cleverness  which  maketh  bitterness  to 
abound. 

The  knowledge  of  a  wise  man  shall  be  made  to  abound  as 
a  flood ; 

And  his  counsel  as  a  fountain  of  life. 
The  inward  parts  of  a  fool  are  like  a  broken  vessel ; 

And  he  will  hold  no  knowledge. 

If  a  man  of  knowledge  hear  a  wise  word, 
He  will  commend  it,  and  add  unto  it : 
The  dissolute  man  heareth  it, 

And  it  displeaseth  him,  and  he  putteth  it  away  behind 
his  back. 

66 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-  Book  I  Ixxv 

The  discourse  of  a  fool  is  like  a  burden  in  the  way ; 
But  grace  shall  be  found  on  the  lips  of  the  wise. 

The  mouth  of  the  prudent  man  shall  be  sought  for  in 
the  congregation ; 

And  they  will  ponder  his  words  in  their  heart. 

As  a  house  that  is  destroyed,  so  is  wisdom  to  a  fool ; 

And  the  knowledge  of  an  unwise  man  is  as  talk  without 

sense. 

* 

Ati  Epigram 

Instruction  is  as  fetters  on  the  feet  of  an  unwise  man, 

And  as  manacles  on  the  right  hand. 

(A  fool  lifteth  up  his  voice  with  laughter ; 

But  a  clever  man  will  scarce  smile  quietly.) 
Instruction  is  to  a  pi-udent  man  as  an  ornament  of  gold, 

And  as  a  bracelet  upon  his  right  arm. 

A  Maxim 

The  foot  of  a  fool  is  soon  in  another  man''s  house ; 
But  a  man  of  experience  will  be  ashamed  of  entering. 

A  foolish  man  peepeth  in  from  the  door  of  another  man's 
house ;  but  a  man  that  is  instructed  will  stand  without. 

67 


Book  I  Ixxvi  -sS  Ecclesiasticus   or 

It  is  a  want  of  instruction  in  a  man  to  listen  at  the  door ; 
but  the  prudent  man  will  be  grieved  with  the  disgrace. 
The  lips  of  strangers  will  be  grieved  at  these  things ;  but 
the  words  of  prudent  men  will  be  weighed  in  the  balance. 

The  heart  of  fools  is  in  their  mouth ; 
But  the  mouth  of  wise  men  is  their  heart. 


Ixxvi 

The  Hatefulness  of  Evil 

A  Prove7'b   Cluster 

When  the  ungodly  curseth  Satan, 
He  curseth  his  own  soul. 

A  whisperer  defileth  his  own  soul, 

And  shall  be  hated  wheresoever  he  sojourneth. 

An  Epigram 

A  slothful  man  is  compared  to  a  stone  that  is  defiled ; 

And  every  one  will  hiss  him  out  in  his  disgrace. 
A  slothful  man  is  compared  to  the  filth  of  a  dunghill ; 

Every  man  that  taketh  it  up  will  shake  out  his  hand. 

68 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  I  Ixxvii 

A  father  hath  shame  in  having  begotten  an  uninstructed  son ; 
And  a  fooHsh  daughter  is  born  to  his  loss. 


A  prudent  daughter  shall  inherit  a  husband  of  her  own ; 
And  she  that  bringeth  shame  is  the  grief  of  him  that 
begat  her. 

She  that  is  bold  bringeth  shame  upon  father  and  husband ; 
And  she  shall  be  despised  of  them  both. 

Ixxvii 

Commerce  with  Fools  Intolerable 

A  Proverb  Cluster 

Unseasonable  discourse  is  as  music  in  mourning ; 
But  stripes  and  correction  are  wisdom  at  every  season. 

« 

A  Maxim 

He  thai  teacheth  a  fool  is  as  one  that  glueth  a  potsherd 

together  ; 
Even  as  one  that  waketh  a  sleeper  out  of  a  deep  sleep. 

He  that  discourseth  to  a  fool  is  as  one  discoursing  to  a 
man  that  slumbereth  ;  and  at  the  end  he  will  say,  What  is  it  ? 

69 


Book  I  Ixxvii  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

A  Sonne f 

Weep  for  the  dead, 

For  light  hath  failed  him ; 
And  weep  for  a  fool, 

For  understanding  hath  failed  him : 

Weep  more  sweetly  for  the  dead, 

Because  he  hath  found  rest ; 

But  the  life  of  the  fool 
Is  worse  than  death. 

Seven  days  are  the  days  of  mourning  for  the  dead : 

But  for  a  fool  and  an  ungodly  man,  all  the  days  of  his  life. 


A  Maxim 

Talk  not  much  with  a  foolish  man, 

And  go  not  to  one  that  hath  no  nnderstanding. 

Beware  of  him,  lest  thou  have  trouble ;  and  so  thou 
shalt  not  be  defiled  in  his  onslaught.  Turn  aside  from 
him,  and  thou  shalt  find  rest ;  and  so  thou  shalt  not  be 
wearied  in  his  madness. 

What  shall  be  heavier  than  lead? 
And  what  is  the  name  thereof,  but  a  fool? 

70 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  8«-  Book  I  Ixxviii 

Sand,  and  salt, 
And  a  mass  of  iron. 
Is  easier  to  bear  than  a  man  without  understanding. 


Ixxviii 

The  Stedfast  Friend  and  the  Uncertain 

An  Essay 

Timber  girt  and  bound  into  a  building  shall  not  be 
loosed  with  shaking:  so  a  heart  established  in  due  season 
on  well  advised  counsel  shall  not  be  afraid.  A  heart  set- 
tled upon  a  thoughtful  understanding  is  as  an  ornament  of 
plaister  on  a  polished  wall.  Pales  set  on  a  high  place 
will  not  stand  against  the  wind :  so  a  fearful  heart  in  the 
imagination  of  a  fool  will  not  stand  against  any  fear.  He 
that  pricketh  the  eye  will  make  tears  to  fall ;  and  he  that 
pricketh  the  heart  maketh  it  to  shew  feeling.  Whoso 
casteth  a  stone  at  birds  frayeth  them  away ;  and  he  that 
upbraideth  a  friend  will  dissolve  friendship. 

If  thou  hast  drawn  a  sword  against  a  friend,  despair  not, 

For  there  may  be  a  returning ; 
If  thou  hast  opened  thy  mouth  against  a  friend,  fear  not, 

For  there  may  be  a  reconciUng : 
71 


Book  I  Ixxix  -58  Ecclesiasticus   or 

Except  it  be  for  upbraiding  and  arrogance, 
And  disclosing  of  a  secret, 
And  a  treacherous  blow : 
For  these  things  every  friend  will  fiee. 

Gain  trust  with  thy  neighbour  in  his  poverty,  that  in  his 
prosperity  thou  mayest  have  gladness  :  abide  stedfast  unto 
him  in  the  time  of  his  affliction,  that  thou  mayest  be  heir 
with  him  in  his  inheritance.  Before  fire  is  the  vapour  and 
smoke  of  a  furnace  ;  so  revilings  before  bloodshed.  I  will 
not  be  ashamed  to  shelter  a  friend ;  and  I  will  not  hide 
myself  from  his  face :  and  if  any  evil  happen  unto  me 
because  of  him,  every  one  that  heareth  it  will  beware 
of  him. 

Ixxix 

Watchfulness  of  Lips  and  Heart 

A  Sonnet 

Who  shall  set  a  watch  over  my  mouth, 
And  a  seal  of  shrewdness  upon  my  lips, 
That  I  fall  not  from  it, 
And  that  my  tongue  destroy  me  not? 

O  Lord,  Father  and  Master  of  my  life, 
Abandon  me  not  to  their  counsel : 
Suffer  me  not  to  fall  by  them. 
72 


The    Wisdom   of  Jesus  d^  Book  I  Ixxx 

Who  will  set  scourges  over  my  thought, 

And  a  discipline  of  wisdom  over  mine  heart? 
That  they  spare  me  not  for  mine  ignorances, 

And  my  heart  pass  not  by  their  sins : 
That  mine  ignorances  be  not  multiplied. 

And  my  sins  abound  not ; 
And  I  shall  fall  before  mine  adversaries, 

And  mine  enemy  rejoice  over  me? 

O  Lord,  Father  and  God  of  my  life, 
Give  me  not  a  proud  look, 

And  turn  away  concupiscence  from  me. 
Let  not  greediness  and  chambering  overtake  me, 

And  give  me  not  over  to  a  shameless  mind. 


Ixxx 

The  Discipline  of  the  Mouth 

A  71  Essay 

Hear  ye,  my  children,  the  discipline  of  the  mouth  ;  and 
he  that  keepeth  it  shall  not  be  taken.  The  sinner  shall 
be  overtaken  in  his  lips ;  and  the  reviler  and  the  proud 
man  shall  stumble  therein.  Accustom  not  thy  mouth  to 
an  oath ;  and  be  not  accustomed  to  the  naming  of  the 
Holy  One.     For  as  a  servant  that  is  continually  scourged 

73 


Book  I  Ixxxi  -58  Ecclesiasticus   or 

shall  not  lack  a  bruise,  so  he  also  that  sweareth  and 
nameth  God  continually  shall  not  be  cleansed  from  sin. 
A  man  of  many  oaths  shall  be  filled  with  iniquity ;  and 
the  scourge  shall  not  depart  from  his  house :  if  he  shall 
offend,  his  sin  shall  be  upon  him ;  and  if  he  disregard  it, 
he  hath  sinned  doubly;  and  if  he  hath  sworn  in  vain, 
he  shall  not  be  justified ;  for  his  house  shall  be  filled  with 
calamities.  There  is  a  manner  of  speech  that  is  clothed 
about  with  death  :  let  it  not  be  found  in  the  heritage  of 
Jacob ;  for  all  these  things  shall  be  far  from  the  godly, 
and  they  shall  not  wallow  in  sins.  Accustom  not  thy 
mouth  to  gross  rudeness,  for  therein  is  the  word  of  sin. 
Remember  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  for  thou  sittest  in 
the  midst  of  great  men ;  that  thou  be  not  forgetful  before 
them,  and  become  a  fool  by  thy  custom ;  so  shalt  thou 
wish  that  thou  hadst  not  been  born,  and  curse  the  day 
of  thy  nativity.  A  man  that  is  accustomed  to  words  of 
reproach  will  not  be  corrected  all  the  days  of  his  life. 

Ixxzi 

The  Horror  of  Adultery 

An  Essay 

Two  sorts  of  men  multiply  sins. 
And  the  third  will  bring  wrath  : 
A  Hot  Mind,  — 
74 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  I  Ixxxi 

as  a  burning  fire,  will  not  be  quenched  till  it  be  con- 
sumed ;  — 

A  Fornicator  in  the  body  of  his  flesh  — 

will  never  cease  till  he  hath  burned  out  the  fire :  all  bread 
is  sweet  to  a  fornicator,  he  will  not  leave  off  till  he  die.  — 

A  man  that  goeth  astray  from  his  own  Bed,  — 

saying  in  his  heart,  "Who  seeth  me?  Darkness  is  round 
about  me,  and  the  walls  hide  me,  and  no  man  seeth  me : 
of  whom  am  I  afraid?  The  Most  High  will  not  remember 
my  sins:"  —  and  the  eyes  of  men  are  his  terror,  and  he 
knoweth  not  that  the  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  ten  thousand 
times  brighter  than  the  sun,  beholding  all  the  ways,  of 
men,  and  looking  into  secret  places.  All  things  were 
known  unto  him  or  ever  they  were  created ;  and  in  like 
manner  also  after  they  were  perfected.  This  man  shall 
be  punished  in  the  streets  of  the  city ;  and  where  he 
suspected  not  he  shall  be  taken. 

So  also  a  wife  that  leaveth  her  husband,  and  bringeth 
in  an  heir  by  a  stranger.  For  first,  she  was  disobedient 
in  the  law  of  the  Most  High  ;  and  secondly,  she  tres- 
passed against  her  own  husband ;  and  thirdly,  she  played 
the  adulteress  in  whoredom,  and  brought  in  children  by 
a  stranger.  She  shall  be  brought  out  into  the  congrega- 
tion ;  and  upon  her  children  shall  there  be  visitation.    Her 

75 


■^  Ecclesiasticus  or  The  Wisdom  of  Jesus 

children  shall  not  spread  into  roots,  and  her  branches 
shall  bear  no  fruit.  She  shall  leave  her  memory  for  a 
curse ;  and  her  reproach  shall  not  be  blotted  out.  And 
they  that  are  left  behind  shall  know  that  there  is  nothing 
better  than  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  nothing  sweeter  than 
to  take  heed  unto  the  commandments  of  the  Lord. 

76 


Book  II 


PREFACE 

WITH  A  MONOLOGUE:    WISDOM  IN  PRAISE  OF  HERSELF 

Wisdom  shall  praise  herself^  and  shall  glory  in  the 
midst  of  her  people.  In  the  congregatioji  of  the  Most 
High  shall  she  open  her  vtoiith^  and  glory  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  power. 

I  came  forth  from  the  mouth  of  the  Most  High, 

And  covered  the  earth  as  a  mist. 
I  dwelt  in  high  places, 

And  my  throne  is  in  the  pillar  of  the  cloud. 
Alone  I  compassed  the  circuit  of  heaven. 

And  walked  in  the  depth  of  the  abyss. 
In  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  in  all  the  earth, 

And  in  every  people  and  nation  I  got  a  possession. 
With  all  these  I  sought  rest ; 

And  in  whose  inheritance  shall  I  lodge? 
Then  the  Creator  of  all  things  gave  me  a  commandment: 

And  he  that  created  me  made  my  tabernacle  to  rest, 
And  said,  Let  thy  tabernacle  be  in  Jacob, 

And  thine  inheritance  in  Israel. 
He  created  me  from  the  beginning  before  the  world ; 

And  to  the  end  I  shall  not  fail. 

79 


-5S  Ecclesiasticus   or 

In  the  holy  tabernacle  I  ministered  before  him ; 

And  so  was  I  established  in  Sion. 
In  the  beloved  city  likewise  he  gave  me  rest ; 

And  in  Jerusalem  was  my  authority. 
And  I  took  root  in  a  people  that  was  glorified, 

Even  in  the  portion  of  the  Lord's  own  inheritance. 

I  was  exalted  like  a  cedar  in  Libanus, 

And  as  a  cypress  tree  on  the  mountains  of  Hermon ; 
I  was  exalted  like  a  palm  tree  on  the  sea  shore, 

And  as  rose  plants  in  Jericho, 

And  as  a  fair  olive  tree  in  the  plain ; 

And  I  was  exalted  as  a  plane  tree. 

As  cinnamon  and  aspalathus, 
I  have  given  a  scent  of  perfumes  ; 

And  as  choice  myrrh, 
I  spread  abroad  a  pleasant  odour ; 

As  galbanum,  and  onyx,  and  stacte, 

And  as  the  fume  of  frankincense  in  the  tabernacle. 

As  the  terebinth 
I  stretched  out  my  branches ; 
And  my  branches  are  branches  of  glory  and  grace. 

As  the  vine 
I  put  forth  grace, 

And  my  flowers  are  the  fruit  of  glory  and  riches. 

80 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^ 

Come  unto  me,  ye  that  are  desirous  of  me, 

And  be  ye  filled  with  my  produce. 
For  my  memorial  is  sweeter  than  honey, 

And  mine  inheritance  than  the  honeycomb. 
They  that  eat  me  shall  yet  be  hungry ; 

And  they  that  drink  me  shall  yet  be  thirsty. 
He  that  obeyeth  me  shall  not  be  ashamed ; 

And  they  that  work  in  me  shall  not  do  amiss. 


All  these  things  are  the  book  of  the  covenant  of  the  Most 
High  God,  even  the  laiv  which  Moses  conmianded  us  for  a 
heritage  unto  the  assemblies  of  Jacob.  It  is  he  that  inaketh 
wisdom  abundant  as  Pishon,  and  as  Tigris  in  the  days  of 
new  fruits  ;  that  maketh  understanding  full  as  Euphra- 
tes, and  as  Jordan  iji  the  days  of  harvest ;  that  maketh 
ifistructioji  to  shine  forth  as  the  light,  as  Gihojt  in  the  days 
of  vintage.  The  first  7nan  knew  her  not  pe7fectly ;  ajid  in 
like  inanner  the  last  hath  not  traced  her  out.  For  her 
iho7ights  are  filled  from  the  sea,  and  her  counsels  fro??i  the 
great  deep. 

And  I  came  07it  as  a  stream  from  a  river,  and  as  a  con- 
d7iit  i7ito  a  garde7i.  I  said,  I  will  water  ?/zy  garde7i,  a7td 
will  water  abunda7itly  7ny  garde7i  bed ;  a7id  lo,  7)iy  strea77i 
beca77ie  a  river,  and  my  river  became  a  sea.  I  will  yet  bring 
instr7ictio7i  to  light  as  the  7nor7n7ig,  and  will  7nake  these 
things  to  shine  forth  afar  off.  I  will  yet  pour  out  doctri7ie 
G  8z 


-5S  Ecclesiasticus  or  The  Wisdom  of  Jesus 

as  prophecy,  and  leave  it  unto generatio7is  of  ages.     Behold 

that  I  have  not  laboured  for  myself  only,  but  for  all  them 

that  diligently  seek  her. 

82 


What  Wisdom  Hates  and  Loves 

A  Number  Sonnet 

In  three  things  I  was  beautified, 
And  stood  up  beautiful  before  the  Lord  and  men : 
The  concord  of  brethren, 
And  friendship  of  neighbours, 
And  a  woman  and  her  husband  that  walk  together  in 
agreement. 

But  three  sorts  of  men  my  soul  hateth, 
And  I  am  greatly  offended  at  their  life : 
A  poor  man  that  is  haughty, 
And  a  rich  man  that  is  a  liar, 
And  an  old  man  that  is  an  adulterer  lacking  understanding. 

ii 

A  Maxim 

In  thy  youth  thou  hast  not  gathered, 

And  how  shoiddest  thou  find  in  thine  old  age  ? 

How  beautiful  a  thing  is  judgement  for  grey  hairs,  and 
for  elders  to  know  counsel !    How  beautiful  is  the  wisdom 

83 


Book  Iliii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

of  old  men,  and  thought  and  counsel  to  men  that  are  in 
honour  !  Much  experience  is  the  crown  of  old  men  ;  and 
their  glorying  is  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 


HI 

The  Love  of  the  Lord 

A  Number  Sonnet 

There  be  nine  things  that  I  have  thought  of, 

And  in  mine  heart  counted  happy ; 
And  the  tenth  I  will  utter  with  my  tongue : 

A  man  that  hath  joy  of  his  children ; 
A  man  that  liveth  and  looketh  upon  the  fall  of  his 
enemies ; 
Happy  is  he  that  dwelleth  with  a  wife  of  understanding ; 
And  he  that  hath  not  slipped  with  his  tongue ; 
And  he  that  hath  not  served  a  man  that  is  unworthy  of 
him ; 
Happy  is  he  that  hath  found  prudence ; 

And  he  that  discourseth  in  the  ears  of  them  that 
listen ; 
How  great  is  he  that  hath  found  wisdom  ! 
Yet  is  there  none  above  him  that  feareth  the  Lord. 

84 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  Q^  Book  II  iv,  v 

The  LOVE  *  OF  THE  LoRD  passeth  all  things : 
He  that  holdeth  it,  to  whom  shall  he  be  likened  ? 


IV 

The  Wrath  of  an  Enemy 
An  Epigram 

Any  plague  but  the  plague  of  the  heart ; 

And  any  wickedness  but  the  wickedness  of  a  woman  ; 

Any  calamity  but  a  calamity  from  them  that  hate  me ; 

And  any  vengeance  but  the  vengeance  of  enemies. 
There  is  no  head  above  the  head  of  a  serpent : 
And  there  is  no  wrath  above  the  wrath  of  an  enemy. 


Women  Bad  and  Good 

A   Wisdom  Cluster 

I  will  rather  dwell  with  a  lion  and  a  dragon,  than  keep 
house  with  a  wicked  woman.  The  wickedness  of  a  woman 
changeth  her  look,  and  darkeneth  her  countenance  as  a  bear 

*  R.  V.  fear  of  the  Lord:  see  note. 

85 


Book  II  V  ^Ecclesiasticusor 

doth.  Her  husband  shall  sit  at  meat  among  his  neighbours, 
and  when  he  heareth  it  he  sigheth  bitterly.  All  malice  is 
but  little  to  the  malice  of  a  woman :  let  the  portion  of  a 
sinner  fall  on  her!  As  the  going  up  a  sandy  way  is  to  the 
feet  of  the  aged,  so  is  a  wife  full  of  words  to  a  quiet  man. 
Throw  not  thyself  upon  the  beauty  of  a  woman  ;  and  desire 
not  a  woman  for  her  beauty.  There  is  anger,  and  impu- 
dence, and  great  reproach,  if  a  woman  maintain  her  husband. 
A  wicked  woman  is  abasement  of  heart,  and  sadness  of 
countenance,  and  a  wounded  heart ;  a  woman  that  will  not 
make  her  husband  happy  is  as  hands  that  hang  down,  and 
palsied  knees.  From  a  woman  was  the  beginning  of  sin, 
and  because  of  her  we  all  die.  Give  not  water  an  outlet, 
neither  to  a  wicked  woman  freedom  of  speech.  If  she  go 
not  as  thou  wouldest  have  her,  cut  her  off  from  thy  flesh. 

Happy  is  the  husband  of  a  good  wife ;  and  the  number 
of  his  days  shall  be  twofold.  A  brave  woman  rejoiceth 
her  husband ;  and  he  shall  fulfil  his  years  in  peace.  A 
good  wife  is  a  good  portion ;  she  shall  be  given  in  the 
portion  of  such  as  fear  the  Lord.  Whether  a  man  be  rich 
or  poor,  a  good  heart  maketh  at  all  times  a  cheerful  coun- 
tenance. 

A  Number  Sonnet 

Of  three  things  my  heart  was  afraid ; 

And  concerning  the  fourth  kind  I  made  supplication : 

86 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  d^  Book  II  vi 

The  slander  of  a  city, 

And  the  assembly  of  a  multitude, 

And  a  false  accusation, 

(All  these  are  more  grievous  than  death  :) 
A  grief  of  heart  and  sorrow  is  a  woman  that  is  jealous  of 

another  woman, 
And  the  scourge  of  a  xongue  communicating  to  all. 

vi 

Women  Bad  and  Good 

A  Sonnet 

A  wicked  woman  {strophe) 

Is  as  a  yoke  of  oxen  shaken  to  and  fro  : 
He  that  taketh  hold  of  her  is  as  one  that  graspeth  a 
scorpion. 

A  drunken  woman 

Causeth  great  wrath : 
And  she  will  not  cover  her  own  shame. 

The  whoredom  of  a  woman 

Is  in  the  lifting  up  of  her  eyes  : 
And  it  shall  be  known  by  her  eyelids. 

Keep  strict  watch  on  a  headstrong  daughter, 
Lest  she  find  liberty  for  herself,  and  use  it. 

Look  well  after  an  impudent  eye  ; 

And  marvel  not  if  it  trespass  against  thee. 

87 


Book  II  vi  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

She  will  open  her  mouth  as  a  thirsty  traveller, 

And  drink  of  every  water  that  is  near : 

At  every  post  will  she  sit  down, 
And  open  her  quiver  against  any  arrow. 

The  grace  of  a  wife  {antistrophe) 

Will  delight  her  husband  : 
And  her  knowledge  will  fatten  his  bones. 

A  silent  woman 

Is  a  gift  of  the  Lord : 
And  there  is  nothing  so  much  worth  as  a  well  instructed 
soul. 

A  shamefast  woman 

Is  grace  upon  grace  ; 
And  there  is  no  price  worthy  of  a  continent  soul. 

As  the  sun  when  it  ariseth  in  the  highest  places  of  the 
Lord, 
So  is  the  beauty  of  a  good  wife  in  the  ordering  of  a 
man's  house. 
As  the  lamp  that  shineth  upon  the  holy  candlestick, 
So  is  the  beauty  of  the  face  in  ripe  age. 

As  the  golden  pillars 

Are  upon  a  base  of  silver, 

So  are  beautiful  feet 
With  the  breasts  of  one  that  is  stedfast. 

88 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  d^  Book  II  vii-ix 

vii 

The  BacksHder 

A  Number  Sonnet 

For  two  things  my  heart  is  grieved, 

And  for  the  third  anger  cometh  upon  me : 

A  man  of  war  that  sufFereth  for  poverty ; 

And  men  of  understanding  that  are  counted  as  refuse ; 
One  that  turneth  back  from  righteousness  to  sin : 
The  Lord  shall  prepare  him  for  the  sword. 

viii 

A  Maxim 

A  merchant  shall  hardly  keep  himself  from  wrong  doing] 
And  a  huckster  shall  not  be  acquitted  of  sin. 

Many  have  sinned  for  a  thing  indifferent ;  and  he  that 
seeketh  to  multiply  gain  will  turn  his  eye  away.  A  nail 
will  stick  fast  between  the  joinings  of  stones ;  and  sin  will 
force  itself  in  between  buying  and  selling. 

ix 

Unless  a  man  hold  on  diligently  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
His  house  shall  soon  be  overthrown. 

89 


Book  II  x-xiii  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 


Reasoning  the  Test  of  Men 

An  Epigram 

In  the  shaking  of  a  sieve  the  refuse  remaineth : 

So  the  filth  of  man  in  his  reasoning. 

The  furnace  will  prove  the  potter's  vessels  : 

And  the  trial  of  a  man  is  in  his  reasoning.. 

The  fruit  of  a  tree  declareth  the  husbandry  thereof: 

So  is  the  utterance  of  the  thought  of  the  heart  of  a  man. 

Praise  no  man  before  thou  hearest  him  reason ; 

For  this  is  the  trial  of  men. 

xi 

If  thou  followest  righteousness, 
Thou  shalt  obtain  her ; 
And  put  her  on  as  a  long  robe  of  glory. 

xii 

Birds  will  resort  unto  their  like ; 

And  truth  will  return  unto  them  that  practise  her. 

xiii 

The  lion  lieth  in  wait  for  prey ; 
So  doth  sin  for  them  that  work  iniquity. 

90 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  II  xiv 

xiv 

Discourse  of  Wise  Men  and  Fools 

A  Proverb   Cluster 

The  discourse  of  a  godly  man  is  always  wisdom : 
But  the  foolish  man  changeth  as  the  moon. 


Among  men  void  of  understanding  observe  the  opportunity ; 
But  stay  continually  among  the  thoughtful. 


The  discourse  of  fools  is  an  offence ; 

And  their  laughter  is  in  the  wantonness  of  sin. 


The  talk  of  a  man  of  many  oaths  will  make  the  hair  stand 

upright ; 
And  their  strife  maketh  one  stop  his  ears. 


The  strife  of  the  proud  is  a  shedding  of  blood ; 
And  their  reviling  of  each  other  is  a  grievous  thing  to 
hear. 

91 


Book  II  XV,  xvi  ^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

XV 

A  Maxim 

He  that  revealeth  secrets  destroyeth  credit^ 
And  shall  ttot  find  a  friend  to  his  jnittd. 

Love  a  friend,  and  keep  faith  with  him :  but  if  thou 
reveal  his  secrets,  thou  shalt  not  pursue  after  him ;  for  as 
a  man  hath  destroyed  his  enemy,  so  hast  thou  destroyed 
the  friendship  of  thy  neighbour.  And  as  a  bird  which 
thou  hast  loosed  out  of  thy  hand,  so  hast  thou  let  thy 
neighbour  go,  and  thou  wilt  not  catch  him  again  :  pursue 
him  not,  for  he  is  gone  far  away,  and  hath  escaped  as  a 
gazelle  out  of  the  snare.  For  a  wound  may  be  bound  up, 
and  after  reviling  there  may  be  a  reconcilement ;  but  he 
that  revealeth  secrets  hath  lost  hope. 

xvi 

A  Maxim 

One   that    winketh   with   the   eye  coftiriveth  evil 

things; 
And  no  7nan  will  rejnove  hitn  from  it. 

When  thou  art  present,  he  will  speak  sweetly,  and 
will  admire  thy  words ;  but  afterward  he  will  writhe  his 

92 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  6«-  Book  II  xvii 

mouth,  and  set  a  trap  for  thee  in  thy  words.  I  have  hated 
many  things,  but  nothing  like  him ;  and  the  Lord  will 
hate  him. 

xvii 

Retribution  and  Vengeance 
An  Essay 

One  that  casteth  a  stone  on  high  casteth  it  on  his  own 
head  ;  and  a  deceitful  stroke  will  open  wounds.  He  that 
diggeth  a  pit  shall  fall  into  it ;  and  he  that  setteth  a  snare 
shall  be  taken  therein.  He  that  doeth  evil  things,  they 
shall  roll  upon  him ;  and  he  shall  not  know  whence  they 
have  come  to  him.  Mockery  and  reproach  are  from  the 
haughty ;  and  vengeance,  as  a  lion,  shall  lie  in  wait  for 
him.  They  that  rejoice  at  the  fall  of  the  godly  shall  be 
taken  in  a  snare ;  and  anguish  shall  consume  them  before 
they  die.  Wrath  and  anger,  these  also  are  abominations  ; 
and  a  sinful  man  shall  possess  them.  He  that  taketh 
vengeance  shall  find  vengeance  from  the  Lord ;  and  he 
will  surely  make  firm  his  sins. 

Forgive  thy  neighbour  the  hurt  that  he  hath  done 
thee ;  and  then  thy  sins  shall  be  pardoned  when  thou 
prayest.  Man  cherisheth  anger  against  man ;  and  doth 
he  seek  healing  from  the  Lord  ?  Upon  a  man  like  himself 
he  hath  no  mercy  ;  and  doth  he  make  supplication  for  his 
own  sins?     He  being  himself   flesh   nourisheth  wrath: 

93 


Book  II  xviii  -^  Eccl esiasticus   or 

who  shall  make  atonement  for  his  sins?  Remember  thy 
last  end,  and  cease  from  enmity :  remember  corruption 
and  death,  and  abide  in  the  commandments.  Remember 
the  commandments,  and  be  not  wroth  with  thy  neigh- 
bour; and  remember  the  covenant  of  the  Highest,  and 
wink  at  ignorance.  Abstain  from  strife,  and  thou  shalt 
diminish  thy  sins  :  for  a  passionate  man  will  kindle  strife  ; 
and  a  man  that  is  a  sinner  will  trouble  friends,  and  will 
make  debate  among  them  that  be  at  peace. 

As  is  the  fuel  of  the  fire, 

So  will  it  burn  ; 
And  as  the  stoutness  of  the  strife  is, 

So  will  it  burn. 

As  is  the  strength  of  the  man, 

So  will  be  his  wrath ; 
And  as  is  his  wealth, 

So  will  he  exalt  his  anger. 

A  contention  begun  in  haste  kindleth  a  fire ;  and  a  hasty 
fighting  sheddeth  blood. 


XVlll 

On  the  Tongue 

An  Essay 

If  thou  blow  a  spark,  it  shall  burn ;   and  if  thou  spit 
upon  it,  it  shall  be  quenched :  and  both  these  shall  come 

94 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  II  xviii 

out  of  thy  mouth.  Curse  the  whisperer  and  double- 
tongued  :  for  he  hath  destroyed  many  that  were  at  peace. 
A  third  person's  tongue  hath  shaken  many,  and  dispersed 
them  from  nation  to  nation ;  and  it  hath  pulled  down 
strong  cities,  and  overthrown  the  houses  of  great  men. 
A  third  person's  tongue  hath  cast  out  brave  women,  and 
deprived  them  of  their  labours.  He  that  hearkeneth  unto 
it  shall  not  find  rest,  nor  shall  he  dwell  quietly.  The 
stroke  of  a  whip  maketh  a  mark  in  the  flesh ;  but  the 
stroke  of  a  tongue  will  break  bones.  Many  have  fallen 
by  the  edge  of  the  sword ;  yet  not  so  many  as  they  that 
have  fallen  because  of  the  tongue.  Happy  is  he  that  is 
sheltered  from  it,  that  hath  not  passed  through  the  wrath 
thereof;  that  hath  not  drawn  its  yoke,  and  hath  not  been 
bound  with  its  bands.  For  the  yoke  thereof  is  a  yoke 
of  iron,  and  the  bands  thereof  are  bands  of  brass.  The 
death  thereof  is  an  evil  death ;  and  Hades  were  better 
than  it.  It  shall  not  have  rule  over  godly  men  ;  and  they 
shall  not  be  burned  in  its  flame.  They  that  forsake  the 
Lord  shall  fall  into  it ;  and  it  shall  burn  among  them,  and 
shall  not  be  quenched :  it  shall  be  sent  forth  upon  them 
as  a  lion,  and  as  a  leopard  it  shall  destroy  them.  Look 
that  thou  hedge  thy  possession  about  with  thorns ;  bind 
up  thy  silver  and  thy  gold ;  and  make  a  balance  and  a 
weight  for  thy  words  ;  and  make  a  door  and  a  bar  for  thy 
mouth.  Take  heed  lest  thou  slip  therein;  lest  thou  fall 
before  one  that  lieth  in  wait. 

95 


Book  II  xix  -5g  Ecclesiasticus   or 

xix 

On  Lending  and  Suretiship 
A71  Essay 

He  that  sheweth  mercy  will  lend  unto  his  neighbour; 
and  he  that  strengtheneth  him  with  his  hand  keepeth  the 
commandments.  Lend  to  thy  neighbour  in  time  of  his 
need ;  and  pay  thou  thy  neighbour  again  in  due  season. 
Confirm  thy  word,  and  keep  faith  with  him ;  and  at  all 
seasons  thou  shalt  find  what  thou  needest. 

Many  have  reckoned  a  loan  as  a  windfall,  and  have 
given  trouble  to  those  that  helped  them.  Till  he  hath 
received,  he  will  kiss  a  man's  hands ;  and  for  his  neigh- 
bours money  he  will  speak  submissly :  and  when  pay- 
ment is  due,  he  will  prolong  the  time,  and  return  words 
of  heaviness,  and  complain  of  the  times.  If  he  prevail, 
he  shall  hardly  receive  the  half,  and  he  will  count  it  as 
a  windfall ;  if  not,  he  hath  deprived  him  of  his  money, 
and  he  hath  gotten  him  for  an  enemy  without  cause ;  he 
will  pay  him  with  cursings  and  railings,  and  for  honour 
he  will  pay  him  disgrace.  Many  on  account  of  men's 
ill-dealing  have  turned  away ;  they  have  feared  to  be 
defrauded  for  naught. 

Howbeit  with  a  man  in  poor  estate  be  longsufFering ; 
and  let  him  not  wait  for  thine  alms.     Help  a  poor  man 

96 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-  Book  II  xix 

for  the  commandments  sake ;  and  according  to  his  need 
send  him  not  empty  away.  Lose  thy  money  for  a  brother 
and  a  friend ;  and  let  it  not  rust  under  the  stone  to  be 
lost.  Bestow  thy  treasure  according  to  the  command- 
ments of  the  Most  High ;  and  it  shall  profit  thee  more 
than  gold.  Shut  up  alms  in  thy  store-chambers ;  and  it 
shall  deliver  thee  out  of  all  affliction :  it  shall  fight  for 
thee  against  thine  enemy  better  than  a  mighty  shield  and 
a  ponderous  spear. 

A  good  man  will  be  surety  for  his  neighbour ;  and  he  that 
hath  lost  shame  will  fail  him.  Forget  not  the  good  offices 
of  thy  surety ;  for  he  hath  given  his  life  for  thee.  A  sin- 
ner will  overthrow  the  good  estate  of  his  surety ;  and  he 
that  is  of  an  unthankful  mind  will  fail  him  that  delivered 
him.  Suretiship  hath  undone  many  that  were  prospering, 
and  shaken  them  as  a  wave  of  the  sea ;  mighty  men  hath 
it  driven  from  their  homes,  and  they  wandered  among 
strange  nations.  A  sinner  that  falleth  into  suretiship,  and 
undertaketh  contracts  for  work,  shall  fall  into  lawsuits. 
Help  thy  neighbour  according  to  thy  power,  and  take 
heed  to  thyself  that  thou  fall  not  to  the  same. 
H  97 


Book  II  XX  ->8Ecclesiasticusor 

XX 

The  Blessing  of  a  House  of  One's  Own 

Att  Essay 

The  chief  thing  for  life  is  water,  and  bread,  and  a  gar- 
ment, and  a  house  to  cover  shame.  Better  is  the  life  of 
a  poor  man  under  a  shelter  of  logs,  than  sumptuous  fare 
in  another  man's  house.  With  little  or  with  much,  be 
well  satisfied.  It  is  a  miserable  life  to  go  from  house  to 
house ;  and  where  thou  art  a  sojourner,  thou  shalt  not 
dare  to  open  thy  mouth.  Thou  shalt  entertain,  and  give 
to  drink,  and  have  no  thanks ;  and  besides  this  thou  shalt 
hear  bitter  words. 

Come  hither,  thou  sojourner, 

Furnish  a  table. 
And  if  thou  hast  aught  in  thy  hand, 

Feed  me  with  it. 

Go  forth,  thou  sojourner, 

From  the  face  of  honour ; 

My  brother  is  come  to  be  my  guest; 
I  have  need  of  my  house. 

These  things  are  grievous  to  a  man  of  understanding  — 
the  upbraiding  of  houseroom,  and  the  reproaching  of  the 
money-lender. 

98 


The    Wisdom   of  Jesus  d^  Book  II  xxi 

xxi 

On  the  Chastisement  of  Children 

An  Essay 

He  that  loveth  his  son  will  continue  to  lay  stripes  upon 
him,  that  he  may  have  joy  of  him  in  the  end.  He  that 
chastiseth  his  son  shall  have  profit  of  him,  and  shall  glory 
of  him  among  his  acquaintance.  He  that  teacheth  his 
son  shall  provoke  his  enemy  to  jealousy ;  and  before 
friends  he  shall  rejoice  of  him.  His  father  dieth,  and  is 
as  though  he  had  not  died,  for  he  hath  left  one  behind  him 
like  himself:  in  his  life  he  saw  and  rejoiced  in  him,  and 
when  he  died  he  sorrowed  not ;  he  left  behind  him  an 
avenger  against  his  enemies,  and  one  to  requite  kindness 
to  his  friends.  He  that  maketh  too  much  of  his  son  shall 
bind  up  his  wounds ;  and  his  heart  will  be  troubled  at 
every  cry.  An  unbroken  horse  becometh  stubborn  ;  and 
a  son  left  at  large  becometh  headstrong.  Cocker  thy 
child,  and  he  shall  make  thee  afraid ;  play  with  him,  and 
he  will  grieve  thee.  Laugh  not  with  him,  lest  thou  have 
sorrow  with  him ;  and  thou  shalt  gnash  thy  teeth  in  the 
end.  Give  him  no  liberty  in  his  youth,  and  wink  not  at 
his  follies.  Bow  down  his  neck  in  his  youth,  and  beat 
him  on  the  sides  while  he  is  a  child,  lest  he  wax  stubborn, 
and  be  disobedient  unto  thee ;  and  there  shall  be  sorrow 

99 


Book  II  xxii  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

to  thy  soul.     Chastise  thy  son,  and  take  pains  with  him, 
lest  his  shameless  behaviour  be  an  offence  unto  thee. 


XXll 

On  Health 
An  Essay 

Better  is  a  poor  man,  being  sound  and  strong  of  con- 
stitution, than  a  rich  man  that  is  plagued  in  his  body. 
Health  and  a  good  constitution  are  better  than  all  gold ; 
and  a  strong  body  than  wealth  without  measure.  There 
is  no  riches  better  than  health  of  body ;  and  there  is  no 
gladness  above  the  joy  of  the  heart.  Death  is  better  than 
a  bitter  life,  and  eternal  rest  than  a  continual  sickness. 
Good  things  poured  out  upon  a  mouth  that  is  closed  are 
as  messes  of  meat  laid  upon  a  grave.  What  doth  an 
offering  profit  an  idol?  for  neither  shall  it  eat  nor  smell; 
so  is  he  that  is  afflicted  of  the  Lord,  seeing  with  his 
eyes  and  groaning,  as  an  eunuch  embracing  a  virgin  and 
groaning. 

Give  not  over  thy  soul  to  sorrow ;  and  afflict  not  thyself 
in  thine  own  counsel.  Gladness  of  heart  is  the  life  of  a 
man ;  and  the  joyfulness  of  a  man  is  length  of  days. 
Love  thine  own  soul,  and  comfort  thy  heart ;  and  remove 
sorrow  far  from  thee;   for  sorrow  hath  destroyed  many, 

zoo 


The    Wisdom   of  Jesus  e^-  Book  II  xxiii 

and  there  is  no  profit  therein.  Envy  and  wrath  shorten  a 
man's  days ;  and  care  bringeth  old  age  before  the  time. 
A  cheerful  and  good  heart  will  have  a  care  of  his  meat 
and  diet. 


XXlll 

On  Riches 

Alt  Essay 

Wakefulness  that  cometh  of  riches  consumeth  the  flesh, 
and  the  anxiety  thereof  putteth  away  sleep.  Wakeful 
anxiety  will  crave  slumber;  and  in  a  sore  disease  sleep 
will  be  broken.  A  rich  man  toileth  in  gathering  money 
together,  and  when  he  resteth,  he  is  filled  with  his  good 
things ;  a  poor  man  toileth  in  lack  of  substance,  and 
when  he  resteth,  he  becometh  needy.  He  that  loveth 
gold  shall  not  be  justified ;  and  he  that  followeth  destruc- 
tion shall  himself  have  his  fill  of  it.  Many  have  been 
given  over  to  ruin  for  the  sake  of  gold ;  and  their  perdi- 
tion meeteth  them  face  to  face.  It  is  a  stumblingblock 
unto  them  that  sacrifice  unto  it ;  and  every  fool  shall  be 
taken  therewith. 

Blessed  is  the  rich  that  is  found  without  blemish, 
And  that  goeth  not  after  gold. 

lOI 


Book  II  xxiv  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

Who  is  he? 
And  we  will  call  him  blessed : 
For  wonderful  things  hath  he  done  among  his  people. 

Who  hath  been  tried  thereby, 
And  found  perfect? 
Then  let  him  glory. 

Who  hath  had  the  power  to  transgress. 
And  hath  not  transgressed? 
And  to  do  evil, 
And  hath  not  done  it? 
His  goods  shall  be  made  sure, 
And  the  congregation  shall  declare  his  alms. 


XXIV 

On  Feasting 

An  Essay 

Sittest  thou  at  a  great  table?  be  not  greedy  upon  it,  and 
say  not,  Many  are  the  things  upon  it.  Remember  that  an 
evil  eye  is  a  wicked  thing. 

What  hath  been  created  more  evil  than  an  eye? 
Therefore  it  sheddeth  tears  from  every  face. 

Stretch  not  thine  hand  whithersoever  it  looketh,  and  thrust 
not  thyself  with  it  into  the  dish.    Consider  thy  neighbour's 

1 02 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  ^  Book  II  xxiv 

liking  by  thine  own ;  and  be  discreet  in  every  point.  Eat, 
as  becometh  a  man,  those  things  which  are  set  before 
thee  ;  and  eat  not  greedily,  lest  thou  be  hated.  Be  first  to 
leave  off  for  manners'  sake ;  and  be  not  insatiable,  lest 
thou  offend.  And  if  thou  sittest  among  many,  reach  not 
out  thy  hand  before  them. 

How  sufficient  to  a  well-mannered  man  is  a  very  little, 
and  he  doth  not  breathe  hard  upon  his  bed.  Healthy 
sleep  Cometh  of  moderate  eating ;  he  riseth  early  and  his 
wits  are  with  him ;  the  pain  of  wakefulness,  and  colic, 
and  griping,  are  with  an  insatiable  m.an.  And  if  thou  hast 
been  forced  to  eat,  rise  up  in  the  midst  thereof,  and  thou 
shalt  have  rest.  Hear  me,  my  son,  and  despise  me  not, 
and  at  the  last  thou  shalt  find  my  words  true :  in  all  thy 
works  be  quick,  and  no  disease  shall  come  unto  thee. 

Him  that  is  liberal  of  his  meat  the  lips  shall  bless ;  and 
the  testimony  of  his  excellence  shall  be  believed.  Him 
that  is  a  niggard  of  his  meat  the  city  shall  murmur  at ;  and 
the  testimony  of  his  niggardness  shall  be  sure. 

Shew  not  thyself  valiant  in  wine,  for  wine  hath  destroyed 
many ;  the  furnace  proveth  the  temper  of  steel  by  dipping, 
so  doth  wine  prove  hearts  in  the  quarrelling  of  the  proud. 
Wine  is  as  good  as  life  to  men,  if  thou  drink  it  in  its  meas- 
ure :  what  life  is  there  to  a  man  that  is  without  wine?  and 
it  hath  been  created  to  make  men  glad.  Wine  drunk  in 
season  and  to  satisfy  is  joy  of  heart,  and  gladness  of  soul : 
wine  drunk  largely  is  bitterness  of  soul,  with  provocation 

103 


Book  II  xxiv  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

and  conflict.  Drunkenness  increaseth  the  rage  of  a  fool 
unto  his  hurt ;  it  diminisheth  strength  and  addeth  wounds. 
Rebuke  not  thy  neighbour  at  a  banquet  of  wine,  neither 
set  him  at  nought  in  his  mirth ;  speak  not  unto  him  a 
word  of  reproach,  and  press  not  upon  him  by  asking  back 
a  debt.  Have  they  made  thee  ruler  of  a  feast  ?  be  not 
lifted  up,  be  thou  among  them  as  one  of  them ;  take 
thought  for  them,  and  so  sit  down.  And  when  thou  hast 
done  all  thy  office,  take  thy  place,  that  thou  mayest  be 
gladdened  on  their  account,  and  receive  a  crown  for  thy 
well  ordering.  Speak,  thou  that  art  the  elder,  for  it  be- 
cometh  thee,  but  with  sound  knowledge.  And  hinder  not 
music :  pour  not  out  talk  where  there  is  a  performance  of 
music,  and  display  not  thy  wisdom  out  of  season. 

As  a  signet  of  carbuncle 
In  a  setting  of  gold, 
So  is  a  concert  of  music  in  a  banquet  of  wine. 

As  a  signet  of  emerald 
In  a  work  of  gold, 
So  is  a  strain  of  music  with  pleasant  wine. 

Speak,  young  man,  if  there  be  need  of  thee ;  yet  scarcely 
if  thou  be  twice  asked :  sum  up  thy  speech,  many  things 
in  few  words ;  be  as  one  that  knoweth  and  yet  holdeth  his 
tongue.  If  thou  be  among  great  men,  behave  not  as  their 
equal ;   and  when  another  is  speaking,  make  not  much 

104 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-         Book  II  xxv-xxvii 

babbling.  Before  thunder  speedeth  lightning ;  and  before 
a  shamefast  man  favour  shall  go  forth.  Rise  up  betimes, 
and  be  not  the  last ;  get  thee  home  quickly  and  loiter  not ; 
there  take  thy  pastime,  and  do  what  is  in  thy  heart ;  and 
sin  not  by  proud  speech.  And  for  these  things  bless  him 
that  made  thee,  and  giveth  thee  to  drink  freely  of  his  good 
things. 

XXV 

He  that  feareth  the  Lord  will  receive  his  discipline ; 
And  they  that  seek  him  early  shall  find  favour. 


XXVI 

He  that  seeketh  the  law  shall  be  filled  therewith 
But  the  hypocrite  shall  stumble  thereat. 


XXVll 

Afi  Epigram 

They  that  fear  the  Lord  shall  find  judgement, 
And  shall  kindle  righteous  acts  as  a  light. 

A  sinful  man  shunneth  reproof, 

And  will  find  a  judgement  according  to  his  will. 


Book  II  xxviii-xxxi  -eS  Ecclesiasticus    or 


XXVlll 

A  Maxim 

A  man  of  counsel  will  not  neglect  a  thought ;  a  strange 
and  proud  man  will  not  crouch  in  fear,  even  after  he  hath 
done  a  thing  by  himself  without  counsel 

xxix 

Do  nothing  without  counsel ; 

And  when  thou  hast  once  done,  repent  not. 

XXX 

An  Epig7'am 

Go  not  in  a  way  of  conflict ; 

And  stumble  not  in  stony  places. 
Be  not  confident  in  a  smooth  way  : 

And  beware  of  thine  own  children. 

xxxi 

In  every  work  trust  thine  own  soul ; 

For  this  is  the  keeping  of  the  commandments. 

io6 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^    Book  II  xxxii-xxxvii 

xxxii 

He  that  beheveth  the  law  giveth  heed  to  the  commandment ; 
And  he  that  trusteth  in  the  Lord  shall  suflfer  no  loss. 


XXXlll 

There  shall  no  evil  happen  unto  him  that  feareth  the  Lord ; 
But  in  temptation  once  and  again  will  he  deliver  him. 

xxxiv 

A  wise  man  will  not  hate  the  law ; 

But  he  that  is  a  hypocrite  therein  is  as  a  ship  in  a  storm. 

XXXV 

A  man  of  understanding  will  put  his  trust  in  the  law ; 
And  the  law  is  faithful  unto  him,  as  when  one  asketh  at 
the  oracle. 

xxxvi 

Prepare  thy  speech,  and  so  shalt  thou  be  heard ; 
Bind  up  instruction  and  make  thine  answer. 

xxxvii 

The  heart  of  a'  fool  is  as  a  cartwheel ; 
And  his  thoughts  like  a  rolling  axletree. 

107 


Book  II  xxxviii,  xxxix  -^s  Ecclesiasticus   or 

xxxviii 

A  stallion  horse  is  as  a  mocking  friend ; 

He  neigheth  under  every  one  that  sitteth  upon  him. 


XXXIX 

An  Analogy 
An  Essay 

Why  doth  one  day  excel  another,  when  all  the  light  of 
every  day  in  the  year  is  of  the  sun  ?  By  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  they  were  distinguished ;  and  he  varied  seasons 
and  feasts :  some  of  them  he  exalted  and  hallowed,  and 
some  of  them  hath  he  made  ordinary  days. 

And  all  men  are  from  the  ground,  and  Adam  was  created 
of  earth.  In  the  abundance  of  his  knowledge  the  Lord 
distinguished  them,  and  made  their  ways  various :  some 
of  them  he  blessed  and  exalted,  and  some  of  them  he 
hallowed  and  brought  nigh  to  himself;  some  of  them  he 
cursed  and  brought  low,  and  overthrew  them  from  their 
place.  As  the  clay  of  the  potter  in  his  hand,  all  his  ways 
are  according  to  his  good  pleasure  :  so  men  are  in  the  hand 
of  him  that  made  them,  to  render  unto  them  according  to 
his  judgement. 

zo8 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  II  xxxix 

Good  is  set  over  against  evil,  and  life  over  against  death  : 

so  is  the  sinner  over  against  the  godly.     And  thus  look 

upon  all  the  works  of  the  Most  High ;  two  and  two,  one 

against  another. 

109 


BOOK  III 


PREFACE 

And  I  awaked  up  last,  as  one  that  gleaneth  after  the 
grapegatherers :  by  the  blessiitg  of  the  Lord  I  got  before 
them,  and  filled  my  winepress  as  one  that  gather eth  grapes. 
Cojisider  that  I  laboured  not  for  myself  alone,  but  for  all 
them  that  seek  instrttction.  Hear  me,  ye  great  men  of  the 
people,  and  hearken  with  your  earsj  ye  rulers  of  the  con- 
gregation. 

I  113 


On  Giving  and  Bequeathing 

An  Essay 

To  son  and  wife,  to  brother  and  friend,  give  not  power 
over  thee  while  thou  livest ;  and  give  not  thy  goods  to 
another,  lest  thou  repent  and  make  supplication  for  them 
again.  Whilst  thou  yet  livest,  and  breath  is  in  thee,  give 
not  thyself  over  to  anybody.  For  better  it  is  that  thy 
children  should  supplicate  thee,  than  that  thou  shouldest 
look  to  the  hand  of  thy  sons.  In  all  thy  works  keep  the 
upper  hand ;  bring  not  a  stain  on  thine  honour.  In  the 
day  that  thou  endest  the  days  of  thy  life,  and  in  the  time 
of  death,  distribute  thine  inheritance. 

•  • 

11 

On  Servants 

A  71  Essay 

Fodder,  a  stick,  and  burdens, 

For  an  ass : 
Bread,  and  discipline,  and  work, 

For  a  servant. 
"S 


Book  Illiii  -sgEcclesiasticusor 

Set  thy  servant  to  work,  and  thou  shalt  find  rest :  leave 
his  hands  idle,  and  he  will  seek  liberty.  Yoke  and  thong 
will  bow  the  neck :  and  for  an  evil  servant  there  are  racks 
and  tortures.  Send  him  to  labour  that  he  be  not  idle  ;  for 
idleness  teacheth  much  mischief.  Set  him  to  work,  as  is 
fit  for  him ;  and  if  he  obey  not,  make  his  fetters  heavy. 

And  be  not  excessive  toward  any ;  and  without  judge- 
ment do  nothing.  If  thou  hast  a  servant,  let  him  be  as 
thyself,  because  thou  hast  bought  him  with  blood.  If 
thou  hast  a  servant,  treat  him  as  thyself;  for  as  thine  own 
soul  wilt  thou  have  need  of  him :  if  thou  treat  him  ill,  and 
he  depart  and  run  away,  which  way  wilt  thou  go  to  seek 
him? 


Ul 

On  Dreams 

An  Essay 

Vain  and  false  hopes  are  for  a  man  void  of  understanding ; 
and  dreams  give  wings  to  fools.  As  one  that  catcheth  at 
a  shadow,  and  followeth  after  the  wind,  so  is  he  that  set- 
teth  his  mind  on  dreams.  The  vision  of  dreams  is  as  this 
thing  against  that,  the  likeness   of  a  face  over  against 

ii6 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  III  iv 

a  face.  Of  an  unclean  thing  what  shall  be  cleansed? 
and  of  that  which  is  false  what  shall  be  true?  Divinations, 
and  soothsayings,  and  dreams,  are  vain :  and  the  heart 
fancieth,  as  a  woman's  in  travail.  If  they  be  not  sent 
from  the  Most  High  in  thy  visitation,  give  not  thy  heart 
unto  them.  For  dreams  have  led  many  astray :  and  they 
have  failed  by  putting  their  hope  in  them.  Without  lying 
shall  the  law  be  accomplished ;  and  wisdom  is  perfection 
to  a  faithful  mouth. 


iv 

A  Maxim 

A  well-instructed  man  knoweth  tnany  things; 
And  he  that  hath  much  experience  will  declare  under' 
standing. 

He  that  hath  no  experience  knoweth  few  things :  but  he 
that  hath  wandered  shall  increase  his  skill.  In  my  wan- 
dering I  have  seen  many  things  ;  and  more  than  my 
words  is  my  understanding.  Ofttimes  was  I  in  danger 
even  unto  death ;  and  I  was  preserved  because  of  these 
things. 

117 


Book  III  V  ^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

V 

The  Fearers  of  the  Lord 

A  Sonnet 

The  spirit  of  those  that  fear  the  Lord 
Shall  live ; 
For  their  hope  is  upon  him  that  saveth  them. 

Whoso  feareth  the  Lord  shall  not  be  afraid, 
And  shall  not  play  the  coward ; 
For  he  is  his  hope. 

Blessed  is  the  soul  of  him  that  feareth  the  Lord : 
To  whom  doth  he  give  heed? 
And  who  is  his  stay  ? 

The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  upon  them  that  love  him :  — 

A  mighty  protection, 

And  strong  stay, 

A  cover  from  the  hot  blast, 

And  a  cover  from  the  noonday, 

A  guard  from  stumbling, 

And  a  succour  from  falling  :  — 
He  raiseth  up  the  soul,  and  enlighteneth  the  eyes, 
He  giveth  healing,  life,  and  blessing. 

Ii8 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  III  vi 

vi 

On  Sacrifices  Evil  and  Acceptable 

An  Essay 

He  that  sacrificeth  of  a  thing  wrongfully  gotten,  his 
offering  is  made  in  mockery;  and  the  mockeries  of  wicked 
men  are  not  well-pleasing.  The  Most  High  hath  no  pleas- 
ure in  the  offerings  of  the  ungodly ;  neither  is  he  pacified 
for  sins  by  the  multitude  of  sacrifices. 

As  one  that  killeth  the  son 
Before  his  father's  eyes 
Is  he  that  bringeth  a  sacrifice  from  the  goods  of  the  poor. 

The  bread  of  the  needy  is  the  life  of  the  poor:  he  that 
depriveth  him  thereof  is  a  man  of  blood.  As  one  that 
slayeth  his  neighbour  is  he  that  taketh  away  his  living; 
and  as  a  shedder  of  blood  is  he  that  depriveth  a  hireling  of 
his  hire. 

One  building,  and  another  pulling  down,  what  profit 
have  they  had  but  toil  ?  One  praying,  and  another  cursing, 
whose  voice  will  the  Lord  listen  to?  He  that  washeth 
himself  after  touching  a  dead  body,  and  toucheth  it  again, 
what  profit  hath  he  in  his  washing?  Even  so  a  man  fast- 
ing for  his  sins,  and  going  again,  and  doing  the  same,  who 

119 


Book  Illvi  -58Ecclesiasticusor 

will  listen  to  his  prayer?  and  what  profit  hath  he  in  his 
humiliation?  He  that  keepeth  the  law  multiplieth  offer- 
ings ;  he  that  taketh  heed  to  the  commandments  sacrificeth 
a  peace  offering.  He  that  requiteth  a  good  turn  offereth 
fine  flour ;  and  he  that  giveth  alms  sacrificeth  a  thank 
offering.  To  depart  from  wickedness  is  a  thing  pleasing 
to  the  Lord ;  and  to  depart  from  unrighteousness  is  a 
propitiation. 

See  that  thou  appear  not  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
empty ;  for  all  these  things  are  to  be  done  because  of  the 
commandment.  The  offering  of  the  righteous  maketh  the 
altar  fat ;  and  the  sweet  savour  thereof  is  before  the  Most 
High.  The  sacrifice  of  a  righteous  man  is  acceptable  ;  and 
the  memorial  thereof  shall  not  be  forgotten.  Glorify  the 
Lord  with  a  good  eye,  and  stint  not  the  firstfruits  of  thine 
hands.  In  every  gift  shew  a  cheerful  countenance,  and 
dedicate  thy  tithe  with  gladness.  Give  unto  the  Most  High 
according  as  he  hath  given ;  and  as  thy  hand  hath  found, 
give  with  a  good  eye.  For  the  Lord  recompenseth,  and  he 
will  recompense  thee  sevenfold. 

Think  not  to  corrupt  with  gifts  ;  for  he  will  not  receive 
them :  and  set  not  thy  mind  on  an  unrighteous  sacrifice ; 
for  the  Lord  is  judge,  and  with  him  is  no  respect  of  per- 
sons. He  will  not  accept  any  person  against  a  poor  man ; 
and  he  will  listen  to  the  prayer  of  him  that  is  wronged. 
He  will  in  no  wise  despise  the  supplication  of  the  father- 
less ;  nor  the  widow,  when  she  poureth  out  her  tale. 

I20 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B«-  Book  III  vii 

Do  not  the  tears  of  the  widow  run  down  her  cheek? 

And  is  not  her  cry  against  him  that  hath  caused  them  to  fall? 

He  that  serveth  God  according  to  his  good  pleasure  shall 
be  accepted,  and  his  supplication  shall  reach  unto  the 
clouds. 

The  prayer  of  the  humble  pierceth  the  clouds ;  and  till 
it  come  nigh  he  will  not  be  comforted ;  and  he  will  not 
depart,  till  the  Most  High  shall  visit ;  and  he  shall  judge 
righteously,  and  execute  judgement.  And  the  Lord  will 
not  be  slack,  neither  will  he  be  longsuffering  toward  them, 
till  he  have  crushed  the  loins  of  the  unmerciful ;  and  he 
shall  repay  vengeance  to  the  heathen ;  till  he  have  taken 
away  the  multitude  of  the  haughty,  and  broken  in  pieces 
the  sceptres  of  the  unrighteous ;  till  he  have  rendered  to 
every  man  according  to  his  doings,  and  to  the  works  of 
men  according  to  their  devices ;  till  he  have  judged  the 
cause  of  his  people ;  and  he  shall  make  them  to  rejoice  in 
his  mercy.  Mercy  is  seasonable  in  the  time  of  his  afflict- 
ing them,  as  clouds  of  rain  in  the  time  of  drought. 


Vll 

A  Prayer  for  Mercy  upon  Israel 

Have  mercy  upon  us,  O  Lord  the  God  of  all,  and  behold ; 
and  send  thy  fear  upon  all  the  nations :  lift  up  thy  hand 

121 


Book  Illvii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

against  the  strange  nations  :  and  let  them  see  thy  mighty 
power.  As  thou  wast  sanctified  in  us  before  them,  so  be 
thou  magnified  in  them  before  us  ;  and  let  them  know  thee, 
as  we  also  have  known  thee,  that  there  is  no  God  but  only 
thou,  O  God.  Shew  new  signs,  and  work  divers  wonders  ; 
glorify  thy  hand  and  thy  right  arm ;  raise  up  indignation, 
and  pour  out  wrath  ;  take  away  the  adversary,  and  destroy 
the  enemy.  Hasten  the  time  and  remember  the  oath  ;  and 
let  them  declare  thy  mighty  works.  Let  him  that  escapeth 
be  devoured  by  the  rage  of  the  fire,  and  may  they  that 
harm  thy  people  find  destruction ;  crush  the  heads  of  the 
rulers  of  the  enemies,  that  say,  There  is  none  but  we. 
Gather  all  the  tribes  of  Jacob  together,  and  take  them  for 
thine  inheritance,  as  from  the  beginning.  O  Lord,  have 
mercy  upon  the  people  that  is  called  by  thy  name,  and 
upon  Israel,  whom  thou  didst  liken  unto  a  firstborn.  Have 
compassion  upon  the  city  of  thy  sanctuary,  Jerusalem,  the 
place  of  thy  rest ;  fill  Sion,  exalt  thine  oracles,  and  fill  thy 
people  with  thy  glory.  Give  testimony  unto  those  that 
were  thy  creatures  in  the  beginning,  and  raise  up  the  proph- 
ecies that  have  been  in  thy  name.  Give  reward  unto 
them  that  wait  for  thee :  and  men  shall  put  their  trust  in 
thy  prophets.  Hearken,  O  Lord,  to  the  prayer  of  thy 
suppliants,  according  to  the  blessing  of  Aaron  concerning 
thy  people ;  and  all  they  that  are  on  the  earth  shall  know 
that  thou  art  the  Lord,  the  eternal  God. 


122 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  III  viii-x 

viii 

An  Epigram 

The  belly  will  eat  any  meat, 
Yet  is  one  meat  better  than  another. 
The  mouth  tasteth  meats  taken  in  hunting : 
So  doth  an  understanding  heart  false  speeches. 

ix 

A  froward  heart  will  cause  heaviness  : 

And  a  man  of  experience  will  recompense  him. 


On  Wives 

An  Essay 

A  woman  will  receive  any  man ;  but  one  daughter  is 
better  than  another.  The  beauty  of  a  woman  cheereth 
the  countenance,  and  a  man  desireth  nothing  so  much; 
if  there  is  on  her  tongue  mercy  and  meekness,  her  hus- 
band is  not  hke  the  sons  of  men.     He  that  getteth  a  wife 

123 


Book  III  xi  -53  Ecclesiasticus   or 

entereth  upon  a  possession ;  a  help  meet  for  him,  and  a 
pillar  of  rest.  Where  no  hedge  is,  the  possession  will  be 
laid  waste :  and  he  that  hath  no  wife  will  mourn  as  he 
wandereth  up  and  down.  For  who  will  trust  a  nimble 
robber,  that  skippeth  from  city  to  city?  even  so  who 
shall  trust  a  man  that  hath  no  nest,  and  lodgeth  whereso- 
ever he  findeth  himself  at  nightfall  ? 


XI 

On  False  Friends 

An  Essay 

Every  friend  will  say,  I  also  am  his  friend:  but  there 
is  a  friend,  which  is  only  a  friend  in  name.  Is  there  not 
a  grief  in  it,  even  unto  death,  when  a  companion  and 
friend  is  turned  to  enmity?  O  wicked  imagination,  whence 
camest  thou  rolling  in  to  cover  the  dry  land  with  deceit- 
fulness?  There  is  a  companion,  which  rejoiceth  in  the 
gladness  of  a  friend,  but  in  time  of  affliction  will  be  against 
him.  There  is  a  companion,  which  for  the  belly's  sake 
laboureth  with  his  friend,  in  the  face  of  battle  will  take  up 
the  buckler.  Forget  not  a  friend  in  thy  soul ;  and  be  not 
unmindful  of  him  in  thy  riches. 

124 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B^  Book  III  xii 

xii 

On  Counsel  and  Counsellors 

An  Essay 

Every  counsellor  extolleth  counsel ;  but  there  is  that 
counselleth  for  himself.  Let  thy  soul  beware  of  a  coun- 
sellor, and  know  thou  before  what  is  his  interest  —  for  he 
will  counsel  for  himself — lest  he  cast  the  lot  upon  thee, 
and  say  unto  thee,  Thy  way  is  good  :  and  he  will  stand  over 
against  thee,  to  see  what  shall  befall  thee.  Take  not 
counsel  with  one  that  looketh  askance  at  thee ;  and  hide 
thy  counsel  from  such  as  are  jealous  of  thee.  Take  not 
counsel  with  a  woman  about  her  rival ;  neither  with  a 
coward  about  war ;  nor  with  a  merchant  about  exchange ; 
nor  with  a  buyer  about  selling ;  nor  with  an  envious  man 
about  thankfulness ;  nor  with  an  unmerciful  man  about 
kindliness ;  nor  with  a  sluggard  about  any  kind  of  work ; 
nor  with  a  hireling  in  thy  house  about  finishing  his 
work ;  nor  with  an  idle  servant  about  much  business : 
give  not  heed  to  these  in  any  matter  of  counsel.  But 
rather  be  continually  with  a  godly  man,  whom  thou  shalt 
have  known  to  be  a  keeper  of  the  commandments,  who  in 
his  soul  is  as  thine  own  soul,  and  who  will  grieve  with 
thee,  if  thou  shalt  miscarry.     And  make  the  counsel  of 

125 


Book  III  xii  -^9  Ecclesiasticus    or 

thy  heart  to  stand,  for  there  is  none  more  faithful  unto 
thee  than  it ;  for  a  man's  soul  is  sometime  wont  to  bring 
him  tidings,  more  than  seven  watchmen  that  sit  on  high 
on  a  watch-tower.  And  above  all  this  entreat  the  Most 
High,  that  he  may  direct  thy  way  in  truth.  Let  reason 
be  the  beginning  of  every  work,  and  let  counsel  go  before 
every  action. 

As  a  token  of  the  changing  of  the  heart,  four  manner  of 
things  do  rise  up,  good  and  evil,  life  and  death ;  and  that 
which  ruleth  over  them  continually  is  the  tongue.  There 
is  one  that  is  shrewd  and  the  instructor  of  many,  and 
yet  is  unprofitable  to  his  own  soul.  There  is  one  that  is 
subtil  in  words,  and  is  hated ;  he  shall  be  destitute  of  all 
food ;  for  grace  was  not  given  him  from  the  Lord,  because 
he  is  deprived  of  all  wisdom.  There  is  one  that  is  wise 
to  his  own  soul ;  and  the  fruits  of  his  understanding  are 
trustworthy  in  the  mouth.  A  wise  man  will  instruct  his 
own  people ;  and  the  fruits  of  his  understanding  are  trust- 
worthy. A  wise  man  shall  be  filled  with  blessing ;  and 
all  they  that  see  him  shall  call  him  happy.  The  life  of 
man  is  numbered  by  days ;  and  the  days  of  Israel  are 
innumerable.  The  wise  man  shall  inherit  confidence 
among  his  people,  and  his  name  shall  live  for  ever. 

126 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  6«-  Book  III  xiii 

xiii 

On  Disease  and  Physicians 
An  Essay 

My  son,  prove  thy  soul  in  thy  life,  and  see  what  is  evil 
for  it,  and  give  not  that  unto  it.  For  all  things  are  not 
profitable  for  all  men,  neither  hath  every  soul  pleasure  in 
every  thing.  Be  not  insatiable  in  any  luxury,  and  be  not 
greedy  on  the  things  that  thou  eatest.  For  in  multitude 
of  meats  there  shall  be  disease,  and  surfeiting  shall  come 
nigh  unto  colic.  Because  of  surfeiting  many  have  per- 
ished ;  but  he  that  taketh  heed  shall  prolong  his  life. 

Honour  a  physician  according  to  thy  need  of  him  with 
the  honours  due  unto  him  :  for  verily  the  Lord  hath  created 
him.  For  from  the  Most  High  cometh  healing  ;  and  from 
the  king  he  shall  receive  a  gift.  The  skill  of  the  phy- 
sician shall  lift  up  his  head ;  and  in  the  sight  of  great 
men  he  shall  be  admired.  The  Lord  created  medicines 
out  of  the  earth ;  and  a  prudent  man  will  have  no  disgust 
at  them.  Was  not  water  made  sweet  with  wood,  that  the 
virtue  thereof  might  be  known?  And  he  gave  men  skill, 
that  they  might  be  glorified  in  his  marvellous  works. 
With  them  doth  he  heal  a  man,  and  taketh  away  his  pain. 
With  these  will  the  apothecary  make  a  confection;  and, 

127 


Book  III  xiv  -^  Ecclesiasticus    or 

his  works  shall  not  be  brought  to  an  end ;  and  from  him 
is  peace  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 

My  son,  in  thy  sickness  be  not  negligent ;  but  pray  unto 
the  Lord,  and  he  shall  heal  thee.  Put  away  wrong  doing, 
and  order  thine  hands  aright,  and  cleanse  thy  heart  from 
all  manner  of  sin.  Give  a  sweet  savour,  and  a  memorial 
of  fine  flour ;  and  make  fat  thine  offering,  as  one  that  is 
not.  Then  give  place  to  the  physician,  for  verily  the 
Lord  hath  created  him ;  and  let  him  not  go  from  thee, 
for  thou  hast  need  of  him.  There  is  a  time  when  in  their 
very  hands  is  the  issue  for  good.  For  they  also  shall 
beseech  the  Lord,  that  he  may  prosper  them  in  giving 
relief  and  in  healing  for  the  maintenance  of  life.  He  that 
sinneth  before  his  Maker,  let  him  fall  into  the  hands  of 
the  physician. 


XIV 

On  Mourning  for  the  Dead 

An  Essay 

My  son,  let  thy  tears  fall  over  the  dead,  and  as  one 
that  suffereth  grievously  begin  lamentation ;  and  wind  up 
his  body  according  to  his  due,  and  neglect  not  his  burial ; 
make  bitter  weeping,  and  make  passionate  wailing,  and  let 

128 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  8«-  Book  III  xv 

thy  mourning  be  according  to  his  desert,  for  one  day  or 
two,  lest  thou  be  evil  spoken  of:  —  and  so  be  comforted 
for  thy  sorrow.     For 

Of  sorrow  cometh  death ; 

And  sorrow  of  heart  will  bow  down  the  strength. 
In  calamity  sorrow  also  remaineth  ; 

And  the  poor  man's  life  is  grievous  to  the  heart. 

Give  not  thy  heart  unto  sorrow  :  put  it  away,  remembering 
the  last  end  ;  forget  it  not,  for  there  is  no  returning  again  ; 
him  thou  shalt  not  profit,  and  thou  wilt  hurt  thyself. 
Remember  the  sentence  upon  him,  for  so  also  shall  thine 
be :  yesterday  for  me  and  today  for  thee.  When  the 
dead  is  at  rest,  let  his  remembrance  rest ;  and  be  com- 
forted for  him,  when  his  spirit  departeth  from  him. 


XV 

The  Wisdom  of  Business  and  the  Wisdom 
of  Leisure 

A7i  Essay 

The  wisdom  of  the  scribe   cometh  by  opportunity  of 
leisure ;   and   he  that  hath   little    business  shall  become 
K  129 


Book  III  XV  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

wise.  How  shall  he  become  wise  that  holdeth  the  plow, 
that  glorieth  in  the  shaft  of  the  goad,  that  driveth  oxen, 
and  is  occupied  in  their  labours,  and  whose  discourse  is  of 
the  stock  of  bulls  ?  He  will  set  his  heart  upon  turning  his 
furrows ;  and  his  wakefulness  is  to  give  his  heifers  their 
fodder.  So  is  every  artificer  and  workmaster,  that  passeth 
his  time  by  night  as  by  day ;  they  that  cut  gravings  of 
signets,  and  his  diligence  is  to  make  great  variety ;  he  will 
set  his  heart  to  preserve  likeness  in  his  portraiture,  and 
will  be  wakeful  to  finish  his  work.  So  is  the  smith 
sitting  by  the  anvil,  and  considering  the  unwrought  iron  ; 
the  vapour  of  the  fire  will  waste  his  flesh,  and  in  the  heat 
of  the  furnace  will  he  wrestle  with  his  work ;  the  noise  of 
the  hammer  will  be  ever  in  his  ear,  and  his  eyes  are  upon 
the  pattern  of  the  vessel ;  he  will  set  his  heart  upon  per- 
fecting his  works,  and  he  will  be  wakeful  to  adorn  them 
perfectly.  So  is  the  potter  sitting  at  his  work,  and  turning 
the  wheel  about  with  his  feet,  who  is  alway  anxiously  set 
at  his  work,  and  all  his  handywork  is  by  number ;  he  will 
fashion  the  clay  with  his  arm,  and  will  bend  its  strength  in 
front  of  his  feet ;  he  will  apply  his  heart  to  finish  the 
glazing,  and  he  will  be  wakeful  to  make  clean  the  furnace. 
All  these  put  their  trust  in  their  hands  ;  and  each  becometh 
wise  in  his  own  work.  Wi^bout  these  shall  not  a  city 
be  inhabited,  and  men  shall  not  sojourn  nor  walk  up  and 
down  therein.  They  shall  not  be  sought  for  in  the  council 
of  the  people,  and  in  the  assembly  they  shall  not  mount  on 

130 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-  Book  III  xv 

high  ;  they  shall  not  sit  on  the  seat  of  the  judge,  and  they 
shall  not  understand  the  covenant  of  judgement ;  neither 
shall  they  declare  instruction  and  judgement,  and  where 
parables  are  they  shall  not  be  found.  But  they  will 
maintain  the  fabric  of  the  world  ;  and  in  the  handywork  of 
their  craft  is  their  prayer. 

Not  so  he  that  hath  applied  his  soul,  and  meditateth  in 
the  law  of  the  Most  High.  He  will  seek  out  the  wisdom 
of  all  the  ancients,  and  will  be  occupied  in  prophecies. 
He  will  keep  the  discourse  of  the  men  of  renown,  and  will 
enter  in  amidst  the  subtilties  of  parables.  He  will  seek 
out  the  hidden  meaning  of  proverbs,  and  be  conversant  in 
the  dark  sayings  of  parables.  He  will  serve  among  great 
men,  and  appear  before  him  that  ruleth.  He  will  travel 
through  the  land  of  strange  nations  ;  for  he  hath  tried 
good  things  and  evil  among  men.  He  will  apply  his 
heart  to  resort  early  to  the  Lord  that  made  him,  and  will 
make  supplication  before  the  Most  High,  and  will  open 
his  mouth  in  prayer,  and  will  make  supplication  for  his 
sins.  If  the  great  Lord  will,  he  shall  be  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  understanding :  he  shall  pour  forth  the  words  of 
his  wisdom,  and  in  prayer  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord.  He 
shall  direct  his  counsel  and  knowledge,  and  in  his  secrets 
shall  he  meditate.  He  shall  shew  forth  the  instruction 
which  he  hath  been  taught,  and  shall  glory  in  the  law  of 
the  covenant  of  the  Lord.  Many  shall  commend  his 
understanding,  and  so  long  as  the  world  endureth,  it  shall 


-^Ecclesiasticus  or  The  Wisdom  of  Jesus 

not  be  blotted  out ;  his  memorial  shall  not  depart,  and  his 
name  shall  live  from  generation  to  generation ;  nations 
shall  declare  his  wisdom,  and  the  congregation  shall  tell 
out  his  praise.  If  he  continue,  he  shall  leave  a  greater 
name  than  a  thousand :  and  if  he  die,  he  addeth  thereto. 

132 


Book  IV 


PREFACE 

WITH  AN  ENCOMIUM:    THE    WORKS   OF  THE  LORD 

Yet  7nore  will  I  utter,  which  I  Jiave  thought  upo7i  ;  and 
I  am  filled  as  the  moon  at  the  f  7(11.  Hearkeii  taito  nie^ye 
holy  child7'en,  and  bud  forth  as  a  rose  growing  by  a  brook 
of  water  ',  and  give  ye  a  sweet  savour  as  frankinceftse,  a?id 
put  fo7'th  flowers  as  a  lily ;  spread  abroad  a  sweet  sj7ielly 
a7id  si7ig  a  so7ig  of  praise.  Bless  ye  the  Lord  for  all  his 
works.  Magnify  his  7ia7ne,  a7id  give  titter a7ice  to  his 
praise  with  the  so7igs  of  your  lips,  a7id  with  harps.  A7id 
thus  shall  ye  say  when  ye  utter  his  praise :  — 

All  the  works  of  the  Lord  are  exceeding  good,  and  every 
command  shall  be  accomplished  in  his  season.  None  can 
say,  What  is  this  ?  wherefore  is  that  ?  for  in  his  season  they 
shall  all  be  sought  out.  At  his  word  the  waters  stood  as 
a  heap,  and  the  receptacles  of  waters  at  the  word  of  his 
mouth.  At  his  command  is  all  his  good  pleasure  done; 
and  there  is  none  that  shall  hinder  his  salvation.  The 
works  of  all  flesh  are  before  him  ;  and  it  is  not  possible  to 
be  hid  from  his  eyes.  He  beholdeth  from  everlasting  to 
everlasting ;  and  there  is  nothing  wonderful  before  him. 

None  can  say,  What  is  this  ?  wherefore  is  that  ?  for  all 
things  ai'e  created  for  their  uses.     His  blessing  covered 

135 


-^  Ecclesiasticus  or  The  Wisdom  of  Jesus 

the  dry  land  as  a  river,  and  saturated  it  as  a  flood.  As  he 
hath  turned  the  waters  into  saltness,  so  shall  the  heathen 
inherit  his  wrath.  His  ways  are  plain  unto  the  holy ;  so 
are  they  stumblingblocks  unto  the  wicked.  Good  things 
are  created  from  the  beginning  for  the  good ;  so  are  evil 
things  for  sinners.  The  chief  of  all  things  necessary  for 
the  life  of  man  are  water,  and  fire,  and  iron,  and  salt,  and 
flour  of  wheat,  and  honey,  and  milk,  the  blood  of  the 
grape,  and  oil,  and  clothing.  All  these  things  are  for 
good  to  the  godly ;  so  to  the  sinners  they  shall  be  turned 
into  evil.  There  be  winds  that  are  created  for  vengeance, 
and  in  their  fury  lay  on  their  scourges  heavily ;  in  the  time 
of  consummation  they  pour  out  their  strength,  and  shall 
appease  the  wrath  of  him  that  made  them.  Fire,  and 
hail,  and  famine,  and  death  —  all  these  are  created  for 
vengeance ;  teeth  of  wild  beasts,  and  scorpions  and 
adders,  and  a  sword  punishing  the  ungodly  unto  destruc- 
tion. They  shall  rejoice  in  his  commandment,  and  shall 
be  made  ready  upon  earth,  when  need  is ;  and  in  their 
seasons  they  shall  not  transgress  his  word. 

Therefore  from  the  beginning  I  was  resolved,  attd  I 

thotight  this,  and  left  it  in  writing.    All  the  works  of  the 

Lord  are  good:  a?td  he  will  supply  every  need  in  its  season. 

And  none  can  say,  This  is  worse  than  that :  for  they  shall 

all  be  well  approved  in  their  season.     And  now  with  all 

your  heart  and  mouth  sing  ye  praises,  and  bless  the  name 

of  the  Lord. 

136 


The  Burden  of  Life 

An  Essay 

Great  travail  is  created  for  every  man,  and  a  heavy  yoke 
is  upon  the  sons  of  Adam,  from  the  day  of  their  coming 
forth  from  their  mother's  womb,  until  the  day  for  their 
burial  in  the  mother  of  all  things.  The  expectation  of 
things  to  come,  and  the  day  of  death,  trouble  their 
thoughts,  and  cause  fear  of  heart ;  from  him  that  sitteth 
upon  a  throne  of  glory  even  unto  him  that  is  humbled 
in  earth  and  ashes ;  from  him  that  weareth  purple  and 
a  crown  even  unto  him  that  is  clothed  with  a  hempen 
frock.  There  is  wrath,  and  jealousy,  and  trouble,  and  dis- 
quiet, and  fear  of  death,  and  anger,  and  strife.  And  in 
the  time  of  rest  upon  his  bed  his  night  sleep  doth  change 
his  knowledge.  A  little  or  nothing  is  his  resting,  and 
afterward  in  his  sleep,  as  in  a  day  of  keeping  watch,  he  is 
troubled  in  the  vision  of  his  heart,  as  one  that  hath  escaped 
from  the  front  of  battle ;  in  the  very  time  of  his  deliver- 
ance he  awaketh,  and  marvelleth  that  the  fear  is  nought. 
It  is  thus  with  all  flesh,  from  man  to  beast ;  and  upon  sin- 

137 


Book  IV  ii  ^Ecclesiasticusor 

ners  sevenfold  more.  Death,  and  bloodshed,  and  strife, 
and  sword,  calamities,  famine,  tribulation,  and  the  scourge  : 
all  these  things  were  created  for  the  wicked,  and  because  of 
them  came  the  Flood. 


11 

A  Garden  of  Blessings 
A  Pair  of  Sonnets 


All  things  that  are  of  the  earth  turn  to  the  earth  again ; 

And  all  things  that  are  of  the  waters  return  into  the  sea. 
All  bribery  and  injustice  shall  be  blotted  out ; 

And  good  faith  shall  stand  for  ever. 
The  goods  of  the  unjust  shall  be  dried  up  like  a  river, 

And  like  a  great  thunder  in  rain  shall  go  off  in  noise. 
In  opening  his  hands  a  man  shall  be  made  glad ; 

So  shall  transgressors  utterly  fail. 
The  children  of  the  ungodly  shall  not  put  forth  many 
branches ; 

And  are  as  unclean  roots  upon  a  sheer  rock. 
The  sedge  that  groweth  upon  every  water  and  bank  of  a 
river 

Shall  be  plucked  up  before  all  grass. 

X38 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S«-  Book  IV  ii 

Bounty  is  as  a  Garden  of  Blessings, 
And  almsgiving  endureth  for  ever. 


The  life  of  one  that  laboureth  and  is  contented 

Shall  be  made  sweet ; 
And  he  that  findeth  a  treasure  is  above  both. 

Children,  and  the  building  of  a  city, 

Establish  a  man's  name  ; 
And  a  blameless  wife  is  counted  above  both. 

Wine  and  music 

Rejoice  the  heart ; 
And  the  love  of  wisdom  is  above  both. 

The  pipe  and  the  psaltery 

Make  pleasant  melody ; 
And  a  pleasant  tongue  is  above  both. 

Thine  eye  shall  desire 

Grace  and  beauty ; 
And  above  both  the  green  blade  of  corn. 

A  friend  and  a  companion 

Never  meet  amiss  ; 
And  a  wife  with  her  husband  is  above  both. 

Brethren  and  succour 

Are  for  a  time  of  affliction  ; 
And  almsgiving  is  a  deliverer  above  both. 

139 


Book  IViii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

Gold  and  silver 

Will  make  the  foot  stand  sure ; 
And  counsel  is  esteemed  above  them  both. 

Riches  and  strength 

Will  lift  up  the  heart ; 
And  the  fear  of  the  Lord  is  above  both. 

There  is  nothing  wanting  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord, 
And  there  is  no  need  to  seek  help  therein. 

The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  as  a  Garden  of  Blessing, 
And  covereth  a  man  above  all  glory. 


Ill 

A  Maxim 

My  so7t,  lead  not  a  beggar's  life  ; 
Better  it  is  to  die  than  to  beg. 

A  man  that  looketh  unto  the  table  of  another,  his  life  is 
not  to  be  counted  for  a  life ;  he  will  pollute  himself  with 
another  man's  meats  :  but  a  man  wise  and  well-instructed 
will  beware  thereof.  In  the  mouth  of  the  shameless  beg- 
ging will  be  sweet ;  and  in  his  belly  a  fire  shall  be  kindled. 

140 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  Q^  Book  IV  iv 

iv 

On  Death 

A  Son7iet 
O  Death, 

How  bitter  is  the  remembrance  of  thee 
To  a  man  that  is  at  peace  in  his  possessions, 
Unto  the  man  that  hath  nothing  to  distract  him, 
And  hath  prosperity  in  all  things, 
And  that  still  hath  strength  to  receive  meat ! 

O  Death, 
Acceptable  is  thy  sentence 
Unto  a  man  that  is  needy,  and  that  faileth  in  strength, 
That  is  in  extreme  old  age, 
And  is  distracted  about  all  things, 
And  is  perverse,  and  hath  lost  patience  ! 

Fear  not  the  sentence  of  Death  ; 

Remember  them  that  have  been  before  thee, 

And  that  come  after. 
This  is  the  sentence  from  the  Lord  over  all  flesh : 
And  why  dost  thou  refuse, 
When  it  is  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Most  High? 

Whether  it  be  ten,  or  a  hundred, 

Or  a  thousand  years, 
There  is  no  inquisition  of  life  in  the  grave. 

141 


Book  IV  V  -^Ecclesiasticusor 


The  Posterity  of  Sinners 

An  Essay 

The  children  of  sinners  are  abominable  children,  and 
they  frequent  the  dwellings  of  the  ungodly.  The  inher- 
itance of  sinners'  children  shall  perish,  and  with  their 
posterity  shall  be  a  perpetual  reproach.  Children  will 
complain  of  an  ungodly  father,  because  they  shall  be 
reproached  for  his  sake. 

Woe  unto  you,  ungodly  men, 

Which  have  forsaken  the  law  of  the  Most  High  God ! 
If  ye  be  born. 

Ye  shall  be  born  to  a  curse ; 
If  ye  die, 

A  curse  shall  be  your  portion. 

All  things  that  are  of  the  earth  shall  go  back  to  the  earth : 
so  the  ungodly  shall  go  from  a  curse  unto  perdition.  The 
mourning  of  men  is  about  their  bodies  :  but  the  name  of 
sinners  being  evil  shall  be  blotted  out.  Have  regard  to  thy 
name  ;  for  it  continueth  with  thee  longer  than  a  thousand 
great  treasures  of  gold.  A  good  life  hath  its  number  of 
days  ;  and  a  good  name  continueth  for  ever. 

142 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  B<-  Book  IV  vi 


VI 

Things  to  be  ashamed  of 
An  Essay 

My  children,  keep  instruction  in  peace  :  but  — 

Wisdom  that  is  hid, 

And  a  treasure  that  is  not  seen, 

What  profit  is  in  them  both  ? 
Better  is  a  man  tliat  hideth  his  foolishness 
Than  a  man  that  hideth  his  wisdom. 

Wherefore  shew  reverence  to  my  word  :  for  it  is  not  good 
to  retain  every  kind  of  shame ;  and  not  all  things  are 
approved  by  all  in  good  faith.  Be  ashamed  of  whoredom 
before  father  and  mother ;  and  of  a  lie  before  a  prince  and 
a  mighty  man  ;  of  an  offence  before  a  judge  and  ruler ;  of 
inquity  before  the  congregation  and  the  people ;  of  unjust 
dealing  before  a  partner  and  friend  ;  and  of  theft,  in  regard 
of  the  place  where  thou  sojournest,  and  in  regard  of  the 
truth  of  God  and  his  covenant ;  and  of  leaning  with  thine 
elbow  at  meat ;  and  of  scurrility  in  the  matter  of  giving 
and  taking ;  and  of  silence  before  them  that  salute  thee ; 
and  of  looking  upon  a  woman  that  is  a  harlot ;  and  of 
turning  away  thy  face  from  a  kinsman ;  of  taking  away  a 

143 


Book  IV  vi  -^  Ecclesiasticus   or 

portion  or  a  gift ;  and  of  gazing  upon  a  woman  that  hath  a 
husband  ;  of  being  over  busy  with  his  maid,  and  come  not 
near  her  bed ;  of  upbraiding  speeches  before  friends,  and 
after  thou  hast  given  upbraid  not ;  of  repeating  and  speak- 
ing what  thou  liast  heard  ;  and  of  revealing  of  secrets.  So 
shalt  thou  be  truly  shamefast,  and  find  favour  in  the  sight 
of  every  man. 

Of  these  things  be  not  ashamed,  and  accept  no  man's 
person  to  sin  thereby :  of  the  law  of  the  Most  High,  and 
his  covenant ;  and  of  judgement  to  do  justice  to  the 
ungodly  ;  of  reckoning  with  a  partner  and  with  travellers  ; 
and  of  a  gift  from  the  heritage  of  friends ;  of  exactness 
of  balance  and  weights ;  and  of  getting  much  or  little ; 
of  indifferent  selling  of  merchants ;  and  of  much  correc- 
tion of  children  ;  and  of  making  the  side  of  an  evil  servant 
to  bleed.  Sure  keeping  is  good,  where  an  evil  wife  is  ;  and 
where  many  hands  are,  shut  thou  close.  Whatsoever 
thou  handest  over,  let  it  be  by  number  and  weight ;  and  in 
giving  and  receiving  let  all  be  in  writing.  Be  not  ashamed 
to  instruct  the  unwise  and  foolish,  and  one  of  extreme  old 
age  that  contendeth  with  those  that  are  young.  And  so 
shalt  thou  be  well  instructed  indeed,  and  approved  in  the 
sight  of  every  man  living. 

144 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  B«-  Book  IV  vii 

vii 

Women  as  a  Source  of  Trouble 
An  Essay 

A  daughter  is  a  secret  cause  of  wakefulness  to  a  father ; 
and  the  care  for  her  putteth  away  sleep :  in  her  youth, 
lest  she  pass  the  flower  of  her  age ;  and  when  she  is 
married,  lest  she  should  be  hated ;  in  her  virginity,  lest 
she  should  be  defiled  and  be  with  child  in  her  father's 
house ;  and  when  she  hath  a  husband,  lest  she  should 
transgress ;  and  when  she  is  married,  lest  she  should  be 
barren.  Keep  a  strict  watch  over  a  headstrong  daughter, 
lest  she  make  thee  a  laughingstock  to  thine  enemies,  a 
byword  in  the  city,  and  notorious  among  the  people,  and 
shame  thee  before  the  multitude. 

Look  not  upon  every  body  in  regard  of  beauty,  and  sit 
not  in  the  midst  of  women ;  for  from  garments  cometh  a 
moth,  and  from  a  woman  a  woman's  wickedness.  Better 
is  the  wickedness  of  a  man  than  a  pleasant-dealing  woman, 
and  a  woman  which  putteth  thee  to  shameful  reproach. 

L  145 


Book  V 

LONGER  WORKS 


The  Works  of  the  Lord 

A  Rhetoric  Encomium 

I  will  make  mention  now  of  the  works  of  the  Lord, 
a?id  will  declare  the  things  that  I  have  seen. 

In  the  words  of  the  Lord  are  his  works.  The  sun  that 
giveth  hght  looketh  upon  all  things  ;  and  the  work  of  the 
Lord  is  full  of  his  glory.  The  Lord  hath  not  given  power 
to  the  saints  to  declare  all  his  marvellous  works ;  which 
the  Almighty  Lord  firmly  settled,  that  whatsoever  is 
might  be  established  in  his  glory.  He  searcheth  out  the 
deep,  and  the  heart,  and  he  hath  understanding  of  their 
cunning  devices  ;  for  the  Most  High  knoweth  all  knowl- 
edge, and  he  looketh  into  the  signs  of  the  world,  declaring 
the  things  that  are  past,  and  the  things  that  shall  be,  and 
revealing  the  traces  of  hidden  things.  No  thought 
escapeth  him ;  there  is  not  a  word  hid  from  him.  The 
mighty  works  of  his  wisdom  he  hath  ordered,  who  is  from 
everlasting  to  everlasting :  nothing  hath  been  added  unto 
them,  nor  diminished  from  them ;  and  he  had  no  need  of 
any  counsellor.  How  desirable  are  all  his  works  !  One 
may  behold  this  even  unto  a  spark.     All  these  things  live 

149 


Book  Vi  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

and  remain  for  ever  in  all  manner  of  uses,  and  they  are  all 
obedient.  All  things  are  double  one  against  another ;  and 
he  hath  made  nothing  imperfect.  One  thing  establisheth 
the  good  things  of  another ;  and  who  shall  be  filled  with 
beholding  his  glory? 

The  pride  of  the  height  is  the  firmament  in  its  clearness, 
the  appearance  of  heaven,  in  the  spectacle  of  its  glory. 
The  sun  when  he  appeareth,  bringing  tidings  as  he  goeth 
forth,  is  a  marvellous  instrument,  the  work  of  the  Most 
High.  At  his  noon  he  drieth  up  the  country,  and  who 
shall  stand  against  his  burning  heat  ?  A  man  blowing  a 
furnace  is  in  works  of  heat,  but  the  sun  three  times  more, 
burning  up  the  mountains  :  breathing  out  fiery  vapours, 
and  sending  forth  bright  beams,  he  dimmeth  the  eyes. 
Great  is  the  Lord  that  made  him ;  and  at  his  word  he 
hasteneth  his  course. 

The  moon  also  is  in  all  things  for  her  season,  for  a 
declaration  of  times,  and  a  sign  of  the  world. 

From  the  moon  is  the  sign  of  the  feast  day ; 

A  light  that  waneth  when  she  is  come  to  the  full. 
The  month  is  called  after  her  name, 

Increasing  wonderfully  in  her  changing ; 
An  instrument  of  the  hosts  on  high, 

Shining  forth  in  the  firmament  of  heaven, 
The  beauty  of  heaven,  the  glory  of  the  stars, 

An  ornament  giving  light  in  the  highest  places  of  the  Lord. 
At  the  word  of  the  Holy  One  they  will  stand  in  due  order, 

And  they  will  not  faint  in  their  watches. 
150 


The   Wisdom   of  Jesus  ^  Book  V  i 

Look  upon  the  rainbow,  and  praise  him  that  made  it ; 
exceeding  beautiful  in  the  brightness  thereof.  It  com- 
passeth  the  heaven  round  about  with  a  circle  of  glory ; 
the  hands  of  the  Most  High  have  stretched  it. 

By  his  commandment  he  maketh  the  snow  to  fall  apace, 
and  sendeth  swiftly  the  lightnings  of  his  judgement.  By 
reason  thereof  the  treasure-houses  are  opened  ;  and  clouds 
fly  forth  as  fowls.  By  his  mighty  power  he  maketh  strong 
the  clouds,  and  the  hailstones  are  broken  small ;  and  at 
his  appearing  the  mountains  will  be  shaken,  and  at  his 
will  the  south  wind  will  blow.  The  voice  of  his  thunder 
maketh  the  earth  to  travail ;  so  doth  the  northern  storm 
and  the  whirlwind.  As  birds  flying  down  he  sprinkleth 
the  snow,  and  as  the  lighting  of  the  locust  is  the  falling 
down  thereof:  the  eye  will  marvel  at  the  beauty  of  its 
whiteness,  and  the  heart  will  be  astonished  at  the  raining 
of  it.  The  hoarfrost  also  he  poureth  on  the  earth  as  salt ; 
and  when  it  is  congealed,  it  is  as  points  of  thorns.  The 
cold  north  wind  shall  blow,  and  the  ice  shall  be  congealed 
on  the  water :  it  shall  lodge  upon  every  gathering  together 
of  water,  and  the  water  shall  put  on  as  it  were  a  breast- 
plate. It  shall  devour  the  mountains,  and  burn  up  the 
wilderness,  and  consume  the  green  herb  as  fire.  A  mist 
coming  speedily  is  the  healing  of  all  things  ;  a  dew  coming 
after  heat  shall  bring  cheerfulness.  By  his  counsel  he 
hath  stilled  the  deep,  and  planted  islands  therein.  They 
that  sail  on  the  sea  tell  of  the  danger  thereof;  and  when 

151 


Book  Vii  ^Ecclesiasticusor 

we  hear  it  with  our  ears,  we  marvel.  Therein  be  also 
those  strange  and  wondrous  works,  variety  of  all  that  hath 
life,  the  race  of  sea-monsters. 

By  reason  of  him  his  end  hath  success,  and  by  his  word 
all  things  consist.  We  may  say  many  things,  yet  shall  we 
not  attain  ;  and  the  sum  of  our  words  is,  He  is  all.  How 
shall  we  have  strength  to  glorify  him?  for  he  is  himself 
the  great  one  above  all  his  works.  The  Lord  is  terrible 
and  exceeding  great ;  and  marvellous  is  his  power.  When 
ye  glorify  the  Lord,  exalt  him  as  much  as  ye  can,  for  even 
yet  will  he  exceed :  and  when  ye  exalt  him,  put  forth  your 
full  strength  ;  be  not  weary,  for  ye  will  never  attain.  Who 
hath  seen  him  that  he  may  declare  him?  and  who  shall 
magnify  him  as  he  is?  Many  things  are  hidden  greater 
than  these ;  for  we  have  seen  but  a  few  of  his  works. 
For  the  Lord  made  all  things ;  and  to  the  godly  gave  he 
wisdom. 


11 

Praise  of  Famous  Men 

A  Rhetoric  Encomium 

Let  us  now  praise  famous  men,  and  our  fathers  that 
begat  us.  The  Lord  manifested  in  them  great  glory,  even 
his  mighty  power  from  the  beginning.     Such  as  did  bear 

152 


The  Wisdom   of  Jesus  8«-  Book  V  ii 

rule  in  their  kingdoms,  and  were  men  renowned  for  their 
power,  giving  counsel  by  their  understanding ;  such  as 
have  brought  tidings  in  prophecies  ;  leaders  of  the  people 
by  their  counsels,  and  by  their  understanding  men  of 
learning  for  the  people  —  wise  were  their  words  in  their 
instruction ;  such  as  sought  out  musical  tunes,  and  set 
forth  verses  in  writing;  rich  men  furnished  with  ability, 
living  peaceably  in  their  habitations  :  all  these  were  hon- 
oured in  their  generations,  and  were  a  glory  in  their  days. 
There  be  of  them,  that  have  left  a  name  behind  them,  to 
declare  their  praises.  And  some  there  be  which  have  no 
memorial ;  who  are  perished  as  though  they  had  not  been, 
and  are  become  as  though  they  had  not  been  born ;  and 
their  children  after  them.  But  these  were  men  of  mercy 
w^hose  righteous  deeds  have  not  been  forgotten.  With 
their  seed  shall  remain  continually  a  good  inheritance ; 
their  children  are  within  the  covenants.  Their  seed 
standeth  fast,  and  their  children  for  their  sakes.  Their 
seed  shall  remain  for  ever,  and  their  glory  shall  not  be 
blotted  out.  Their  bodies  were  buried  in  peace,  and  their 
name  liveth  to  all  generations.  Peoples  will  declare  their 
wisdom,  and  the  congregation  telleth  out  their  praise. 

Enoch  pleased  the  Lord,  and  was  translated,  being 
an  example  of  repentance  to  all  generations.  Noah  was 
found  perfect  and  righteous ;  in  the  season  of  wrath  he 
was  taken  in  exchange  for  the  world ;  therefore  was  there 
left  a  remnant  unto  the  earth  when  the  Flood  came.    Ever- 

153 


Book  Vii  -^SEcclesiasticusor 

lasting  covenants  were  made  with  him,  that  all  flesh  should 
no  more  be  blotted  out  by  a  flood. 

Abraham  was  a  great  father  of  a  multitude  of  nations, 
and  there  was  none  found  like  him  in  glory :  who  kept  the 
law  of  the  Most  High,  and  was  taken  into  covenant  with 
him ;  in  his  flesh  he  established  the  covenant,  and  when 
he  was  proved  he  was  found  faithful.  Therefore  he  as- 
sured him  by  an  oath  that  the  nations  should  be  blessed  in 
his  seed ;  that  he  would  multiply  him  as  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  and  exalt  his  seed  as  the  stars,  and  cause  them  to 
inherit  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  River  unto  the 
utmost  part  of  the  earth.  In  Isaac  also  did  he  estabhsh 
likewise,  for  Abraham  his  father's  sake,  the  blessing  of  all 
men,  and  the  covenant.  And  he  made  it  rest  upon  the 
head  of  Jacob ;  he  acknowledged  him  in  his  blessings, 
and  gave  to  him  by  inheritance,  and  divided  his  portions ; 
among  twelve  tribes  did  he  part  them. 

And  he  brought  out  of  him  a  man  of  mercy,  which 
found  favour  in  the  sight  of  all  flesh :  a  man  beloved  of 
God  and  men,  even  Moses,  whose  memorial  is  blessed. 
He  made  him  like  to  the  glory  of  the  saints,  and  magni- 
fied him  in  the  fears  of  his  enemies.  By  his  words  he 
caused  the  wonders  to  cease ;  he  glorified  him  in  the  sight 
of  kings  ;  he  gave  him  commandment  for  his  people,  and 
shewed  him  part  of  his  glory.  He  sanctified  him  in  his 
faithfulness  and  meekness ;  he  chose  him  out  of  all  flesh. 
He  made  him  to  hear  his  voice,  and  led  him  into  the  thick 

154 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S^-  Book  V  ii 

darkness,  and  gave  him  commandments  face  to  face,  even 
the  law  of  Hfe  and  knowledge,  that  he  might  teach  Jacob 
the  covenant,  and  Israel  his  judgements. 

He  exalted  Aaron,  a  holy  man  like  unto  him,  even 
his  brother  of  the  tribe  of  Levi.  He  established  for  him 
an  everlasting  covenant,  and  gave  him  the  priesthood  of 
the  people.  He  beautified  him  with  comely  ornaments, 
and  girded  him  about  with  a  robe  of  glory.  He  clothed 
him  with  the  perfection  of  exultation ;  and  strengthened 
him  with  apparel  of  honour,  the  linen  breeches,  the  long 
robe,  and  the  ephod.  And  he  compassed  him  with  pome- 
granates of  gold,  and  with  many  bells  round  about,  to 
send  forth  a  sound  as  he  went,  to  make  a  sound  that 
might  be  heard  in  the  temple,  for  a  memorial  to  the  chil- 
dren of  his  people ;  with  a  holy  garment,  with  gold  and 
blue  and  purple,  the  work  of  the  embroiderer;  with  an 
oracle  of  judgement,  even  with  the  Urim  and  Thummim  ; 
with  twisted  scarlet,  the  work  of  the  craftsman ;  with 
precious  stones  graven  like  a  signet,  in  a  setting  of  gold, 
the  work  of  the  jeweller,  for  a  memorial  engraved  in 
writing,  after  the  number  of  the  tribes  of  Israel ;  with  a 
crown  of  gold  upon  the  mitre,  having  graven  on  it,  as  on 
a  signet,  Holiness,  an  ornament  of  honour,  a  work  of 
might,  the  desires  of  the  eyes,  goodly  and  beautiful.  Be- 
fore him  there  never  have  been  any  such  ;  no  stranger  put 
them  on,  but  his  sons  only  and  his  offspring  perpetually. 
His  sacrifice  shall  be  wholly  consumed  every  day  twice 

155 


Book  Vii  ^Ecclesiastic  us   or 

continually.  Moses  consecrated  him,  and  anointed  him 
with  holy  oil :  it  was  unto  him  for  an  everlasting  cove- 
nant, and  to  his  seed,  all  the  days  of  heaven,  to  minister 
unto  him,  and  to  execute  also  the  priest's  office,  and  bless 
his  people  in  his  name.  He  chose  him  out  of  all  living  to 
offer  sacrifice  to  the  Lord,  incense,  and  a  sweet  savour,  for 
a  memorial,  to  make  reconciliation  for  thy  people.  He 
gave  unto  him  in  his  commandments,  yea,  authority  in  the 
covenants  of  judgements,  to  teach  Jacob  the  testimonies, 
and  to  enlighten  Israel  in  his  law.  Strangers  gathered 
themselves  together  against  him,  and  envied  him  in  the 
wilderness,  even  Dathan  and  Abiram  with  their  company, 
and  the  congregation  of  Korah,  with  wrath  and  anger. 
The  Lord  saw  it,  and  it  displeased  him ;  and  in  the  wrath 
of  his  anger  they  were  destroyed :  he  did  wonders  upon 
them,  to  consume  them  with  flaming  fire.  And  he  added 
glory  to  Aaron,  and  gave  him  a  heritage : 

He  divided  unto  him  the  firstfruits  of  the  increase; 

And  first  did  he  prepare  bread  in  abundance : 
For  they  shall  eat  the  sacrifices  of  the  Lord, 

Which  he  gave  unto  him  and  to  his  seed. 
Howbeit  in  the  land  of  the  people  he  shall  have  no 
inheritance ; 

And  he  hath  no  portion  among  the  people : 
For  He  himself  is  thy  portion  and  inheritance. 

And  Phinehas  the  son  of  Eleazar  is  the  third  in  glory, 
in  that  he  was  zealous  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  stood 

156 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  S^  Book  V  ii 

fast  in  the  good  forwardness  of  his  sour  when  the  people 
turned  away,  and  he  made  reconciliation  for  Israel.  There- 
fore was  there  a  covenant  of  peace  established  for  him, 
that  he  should  be  leader  of  the  saints  and  of  his  people ; 
that  he  and  his  seed  should  have  the  dignity  of  the  priest- 
hood for  ever.  Also  he  made  a  covenant  with  David  the 
son  of  Jesse,  of  the  tribe  of  Judah :  the  inheritance  of 
the  king  is  his  alone  from  son  to  son.  So  the  inheritance 
of  Aaron  is  also  unto  his  seed.  God  give  you  wisdom  in 
your  heart  to  judge  his  people  in  righteousness,  that  their 
good  things  be  not  abolished,  and  that  their  glory  endure 
for  all  their  generations. 

Joshua  the  son  of  Nun  was  valiant  in  w^ar,  and  was  the 
successor  of  Moses  in  prophecies  :  who  according  to  his 
name  was  made  great  for  the  saving  of  God's  elect,  to  take 
vengeance  of  the  enemies  that  rose  up  against  them,  that 
he  might  give  Israel  their  inheritance.  How  was  he 
glorified  in  the  lifting  up  his  hands,  and  in  stretching  out 
his  sword  against  the  cities !  Who  before  him  so  stood 
fast?  For  the  Lord  himself  brought  his  enemies  unto 
him.  Did  not  the  sun  go  back  by  his  hand?  And  did 
not  one  day  become  as  two?  He  called  upon  the  Most 
High  and  Mighty  One,  when  his  foes  pressed  him  round 
about ;  and  the  great  Lord  heard  him.  With  hailstones 
of  mighty  power  he  caused  war  to  break  violently  upon  the 
nation,  and  in  the  going  down  he  destroyed  them  that 
resisted ;    that  the  nations  might  know  his  armour,  how 

157 


Book  Vii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

that  he  fought  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord ;  for  he  followed 
after  the  Mighty  One.  Also  in  the  time  of  Closes  he  did 
a  work  of  mercy,  he  and  Caleb  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  in 
that  they  withstood  the  adversar}-,  hindered  the  people 
from  sin.  and  stilled  the  murmuring  of  wickedness.  And 
of  six  hundred  thousand  people  on  foot,  they  two  alone 
were  preserved  to  bring  them  into  the  heritage,  even  into 
a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  Also  the  Lord  gave 
strength  unto  Caleb,  and  it  remained  with  him  unto  his  old 
age ;  so  that  he  entered  upon  the  height  of  the  land,  and 
his  seed  obtained  it  for  a  heritage  :  that  all  the  children  of 
Israel  might  see  that  it  is  good  to  walk  after  the  Lord. 

Also  the  judges,  every  one  by  his  nam.e,  all  whose  hearts 
went  not  a  whoring,  and  who  turned  not  away  from  the 
Lord,  may  their  memorial  be  blessed.  May  their  bones 
flourish  again  out  of  their  place,  and  may  the  name  of 
them  that  have  been  honoured  be  renewed  upon  their 
children. 

Samuel,  the  prophet  of  the  Lord,  beloved  of  his  Lord, 
established  a  kingdom,  and  anointed  princes  over  his 
people.  By  the  law  of  the  Lord  he  judged  the  congrega- 
tion, and  the  Lord  visited  Jacob.  By  his  faithfulness  he 
was  proved  to  be  a  prophet,  and  by  his  words  he  was 
known  to  be  faithful  in  vision.  Also  when  his  enemies 
pressed  him  round  about  he  called  upon  the  Lord,  the 
Mighty  One,  with  the  offering  of  the  sucking  lamb ;  and 
the  Lord  thundered  from  heaven,  and  with  a  mighty  sound 

1^8 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  £^  Book  V  ii 

made  his  voice  to  be  heard.  And  he  utterly  destroyed  the 
rulers  of  the  Tyrians,  and  all  the  princes  of  the  Philistines. 
Also  before  the  time  of  his  long  sleep  he  made  protesta- 
tions in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  and  his  anointed :  '•  I  have 
not  taken  any  man's  goods,  so  much  as  a  shoe : "'  and  no 
man  did  accuse  him.  And  after  he  fell  asleep,  he  prophe- 
sied, and  showed  the  king  his  end.  and  lifted  up  his  voice 
from  the  earth  in  prophecy,  to  blot  out  the  wickedness  of 
the  people. 

And  after  him  rose  up  Nathan  to  prophesy  in  the  days 
of  David.  As  is  the  fat  when  it  is  separated  from  the 
peace  offering,  so  was  David  separated  from  the  children 
of  Israel.  He  played  with  lions  as  with  kids,  and  with 
bears  as  with  lambs  of  the  flock.  In  his  youth  did  he  not 
slay  a  giant,  and  take  avray  reproach  from  the  people, 
when  he  lifted  up  his  hand  with  a  sling  stone  and  beat 
down  the  boasting  of  Goliath?  For  he  called  upon  the 
Most  High  Lord ;  and  he  gave  him  strength  in  his  right 
hand,  to  slay  a  man  mighty  in  war,  to  exalt  the  horn  of 
his  people.  So  they  glorified  him  for  his  ten  thousands, 
and  praised  him  for  the  blessings  of  the  Lord,  in  that  there 
was  given  him  a  diadem  of  glory.  For  he  destroyed  the 
enemies  on  every  side,  and  brought  to  nought  the  Philis- 
tines his  adversaries,  brake  their  horn  in  pieces  unto  this 
day.  In  every  work  of  his  he  gave  thanks  to  the  Holy 
One  Most  High  with  words  of  glon,- ;  with  his  whole  heart 
he  sang  praise,  and  loved  him  that  made  him.    Also  he  set 

159 


Book  Vii  ->SEcclesiasticusor 

singers  before  the  altar,  and  to  make  sweet  melody  by 
their  music.  He  gave  comeliness  to  the  feasts,  and  set  in 
order  the  seasons  to  perfection,  while  they  praised  his  holy 
name,  and  the  sanctuary  sounded  from  early  morning. 
The  Lord  took  away  his  sins,  and  exalted  his  horn  for 
ever ;  and  gave  him  a  covenant  of  kings,  and  a  throne  of 
glory  in  Israel. 

After  him  rose  up  a  son,  a  man  of  understanding ;  and 
for  his  sake  he  dwelt  at  large.  Solomon  reigned  in  days 
of  peace  ;  and  to  him  God  gave  rest  round  about,  that  he 
might  set  up  a  house  for  his  name,  and  prepare  a  sanctu- 
ary for  ever. 

How  wise  wast  thou  made  in  thy  youth, 

And  filled  as  a  river  with  understanding ! 
Thy  soul  covered  the  earth, 

And  thou  filledst  it  with  dark  parables. 
Thy  name  reached  unto  the  isles  afar  off; 

And  for  thy  peace  thou  wast  beloved. 
For  thy  songs  and  proverbs  and  parables, 

And  for  thine  interpretations,  the  countries  marvelled  at 
thee. 
By  the  name  of  the  Lord  God, 

Which  is  called  the  God  of  Israel, 
Thou  didst  gather  gold  as  tin. 

And  didst  multiply  silver  as  lead. 
Thou  didst  bow  thy  loins  unto  women. 

And  in  thy  body  thou  wast  brought  into  subjection. 
Thou  didst  blemish  thine  honour, 

And  profane  thy  seed, 

1 60 


The    Wisdom    of  Jesus  8^  Book  V  ii 

To  bring  wrath  upon  thy  children ; 

And  I  was  grieved  for  thy  folly : 
So  that  the  sovereignty  was  divided, 

And  out  of  Ephraim  ruled  a  disobedient  kingdom. 
But  the  Lord  will  never  forsake  his  mercy ; 

And  he  will  not  destroy  any  of  his  works, 
Nor  blot  out  the  posterity  of  his  elect ; 

And  the  seed  of  him  that  loved  him  he  will  not  take 
away ; 
And  he  gave  a  remnant  unto  Jacob, 

And  unto  David  a  root  out  of  him. 

And  so  rested  Solomon  with  his  fathers  ;  and  of  his  seed 
he  left  behind  him  Rehoboam,  even  the  foolishness  of  the 
people,  and  one  that  lacked  understanding,  who  made  the 
people  to  revolt  by  his  counsel.  Also  Jeroboam  the  son 
of  Nebat,  who  made  Israel  to  sin,  and  gave  unto  Ephraim 
a  way  of  sin.  And  their  sins  were  multiplied  exceedingly, 
to  remove  them  from  their  land.  For  they  sought  out  all 
manner  of  wickedness,  till  vengeance  should  come  upon 
them. 

Also  there  arose  Elijah  the  prophet  as  fire,  and  his  word 
burned  like  a  torch :  who  brought  a  famine  upon  them, 
and  by  his  zeal  made  them  few  in  number.  By  the  word 
of  the  Lord  he  shut  up  the  heaven :  thrice  did  he  thus 
brino;  down  fire. 


^& 


How  wast  thou  glorified,  O  Elijah,  in  thy  wondrous  deeds  I 
And  who  shall  glory  like  unto  thee? 
M  l6l 


Book  Vii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

Who  did  raise  up  a  dead  man  from  death, 

And  from  the  place  of  the  dead  by  the  word  of  the  Most 
High; 
Who  brought  down  kings  to  destruction, 

And  honourable  men  from  their  bed ; 
Who  heard  rebuke  in  Sinai, 

And  judgements  of  vengeance  in  Horeb ; 
Who  anointed  kings  for  retribution, 

And  prophets  to  succeed  after  him  ; 
Who  was  taken  up  in  a  tempest  of  fire, 

In  a  chariot  of  fiery  horses ; 
Who  was  recorded  for  reproofs  in  their  seasons, 

To  pacify  anger  before  it  brake  forth  into  wrath ; 
To  turn  the  heart  of  the  father  unto  the  son. 

And  to  restore  the  tribes  of  Jacob. 

Blessed  are  they  that  saw  thee, 

And  they  that  have  been  beautified  with  love ; 
For  we  also  shall  surely  live. 

Elijah  it  was  who  was  wrapped  in  a  tempest :  and  Elisha 
was  filled  with  his  spirit  ;  and  in  all  his  days  he  Vv-as  not 
moved  by  the  fear  of  any  ruler,  and  no  one  brought  him 
into  subjection.  Nothing  was  too  high  for  him  ;  and  when 
he  was  laid  on  sleep  his  body  prophesied.  As  in  his  life 
he  did  wonders,  so  in  death  were  his  works  marvellous. 
For  all  this  the  people  repented  not,  and  they  departed 
not  from  their  sins,  till  they  were  carried  away  as  a  spoil 
from  their  land,  and  were  scattered  through  all  the  earth  ; 
and  the  people  was  left  very  few  in  number,  and  a  ruler 

162 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  ^  Book  V  ii 

was  left  in  the  house  of  David.  Some  of  them  did  that 
wliich  was  pleasing  to  God,  and  some  multiplied  sins. 

Hezekiah  fortified  his  city  and  brought  in  water  into  the 
midst  of  them :  he  digged  the  sheer  rock  with  iron,  and 
builded  up  wells  for  waters.  In  his  days  Sennacherib 
came  up,  and  sent  Rabshakeh,  and  departed  ;  and  he  lifted 
up  his  hand  against  Sion,  and  boasted  great  things  in  his 
arrogancy.  Then  were  their  hearts  and  their  hands 
shaken,  and  they  were  in  pain,  as  women  in  travail ;  and 
they  called  upon  the  Lord  which  is  merciful,  spreading 
forth  their  hands  unto  him  :  and  the  Holy  One  heard  them 
speedily  out  of  heaven,  and  delivered  them  by  the  hand 
of  Isaiah.  He  smote  the  camp  of  the  Assyrians,  and  his 
angel  utterly  destroyed  them.  For  Hezekiah  did  that 
which  was  pleasing  to  the  Lord,  and  was  strong  in  the 
ways  of  David  his  father,  which  Isaiah  the  prophet  com- 
manded, who  was  great  and  faithful  in  his  vision.  In  his 
days  the  sun  went  backward ;  and  he  added  life  to  the 
king.  He  saw  by  an  excellent  spirit  what  should  come  to 
pass  at  the  last ;  and  he  comforted  them  that  mourned  in 
Sion.  He  shewed  the  things  that  should  be  to  the  end  of 
time,  and  the  hidden  things  or  ever  they  came. 

The  memorial  of  Josiah  is  like  the  composition  of  in- 
cense prepared  by  the  work  of  the  apothecary :  it  shall  be 
sweet  as  honey  in  every  mouth,  and  as  music  at  a  banquet 
of  wine.  He  behaved  himself  uprightly  in  the  conversion 
of  the  people,  and  took  away  the  abominations  of  iniquity. 

163 


Book  Vii  ->gEcclesiasticusor 

He  set  his  heart  right  toward  the  Lord;  in  the  days  of 
wicked  men  he  made  godliness  to  prevail.  Except  David 
and  Hezekiah  and  Josiah,  all  committed  trespass :  for  they 
forsook  the  law  of  the  Most  High ;  the  Kings  of  Judah 
failed.  For  they  gave  their  power  unto  others,  and  their 
glory  to  a  strange  nation.  They  set  on  fire  the  chosen 
city  of  the  sanctuary,  and  made  her  streets  desolate,  as 
it  was  written  by  the  hand  of  Jeremiah.  For  they  en- 
treated him  evil ;  and  yet  he  was  sanctified  in  the  womb 
to  be  a  prophet,  to  root  out,  and  to  afflict,  and  to  destroy ; 
and  in  like  manner  to  build  and  to  plant. 

It  was  Ezekiel  who  saw  the  vision  of  glory,  which  God 
shewed  him  upon  the  chariot  of  the  cherubim  — 

For  verily  he  remembered  the  enemies  in  storm, 
And  to  do  good  to  them  that  directed  their  ways  aright  — 

Also  of  the  twelve  prophets  may  the  bones  flourish  again 
out  of  their  place  — 

And  he  comforted  Jacob, 

And  delivered  them  by  confidence  of  hope  — 

How  shall  we  magnify  Zerubbabel  ?  — 

And  he  was  as  a  signet  on  the  right  hand  — 

so  was  Jesus,  the  son  of  Josedek :  who  in  their  days 
builded  the  house,  and  exalted  a  people  holy  to  the  Lord, 

164 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  ^  Book  V  ii 

prepared  for  everlasting  glory.  Also  of  Nehemiah  the 
memorial  is  great ;  who  raised  up  for  us  the  walls  that 
were  fallen,  and  set  up  the  gates  and  bars,  and  raised 
up  our  homes  again. 

No  man  was  created  upon  the  earth  such  as  was 
Enoch  ;  for  he  was  taken  up  from  the  earth.  Neither 
was  there  a  man  born  like  unto  Joseph,  a  governor  of  his 
brethren,  a  stay  of  the  people :  yea,  his  bones  were 
visited.  Shem  and  Seth  were  glorified  among  men ;  and 
above  every  living  thing  in  the  creation  is  Adam.*^ 

It  was  Simon,  the  son  of  Onias,  the  great  priest,  who 
in  his  life  repaired  the  house,  and  in  his  days  strengthened 
the  temple ;  and  by  him  was  built  from  the  foundation  the 
height  of  the  double  wall,  the  lofty  underworks  of  the 
enclosure  of  the  temple  ;  in  his  days  the  cistern  of  waters 
was  diminished,  the  brasen  vessel  in  compass  as  the  sea. 
It  was  he  that  took  thought  for  his  people  that  they  should 
not  fall,  and  fortified  the  city  against  besieging.  How 
glorious  was  he  when  the  people  gathered  round  him  at 
his  coming  forth  out  of  the  sanctuary :  as  the  morning 
star  in  the  midst  of  a  cloud,  as  the  moon  at  the  full,  as  the 
sun  shining  forth  upon  the  temple  of  the  Most  High,  and 
as  the  rainbow  giving  light  in  clouds  of  glory ;  as  the 
flower  of  roses  in  the  days  of  new  fruits,  as  lilies  at  the 
waterspring,  as  the  shoot  of  the  frankincense  tree  in 
the  time  of  summer ;  as  fire  and  incense  in  the  censer,  as 

165 


Book  Vii  -^Ecclesiasticusor 

a  vessel  all  of  beaten  gold  adorned  with  all  manner  of 
precious  stones  ;  as  an  olive  tree  budding  forth  fruits,  and 
as  a  cypress  growing  high  among  the  clouds  !  When  he 
took  up  the  robe  of  glory,  and  put  on  the  perfection  of 
exultation,  in  the  ascent  of  the  holy  altar,  he  made 
glorious  the  precinct  of  the  sanctuary.  And  when  he 
received  the  portions  out  of  the  priests'  hands,  himself 
also  standing  by  the  hearth  of  the  altar,  his  brethren  as 
a  garland  round  about  him,  he  was  as  a  young  cedar  in 
Libanus  ;  and  as  stems  of  palm  trees  compassed  they  him 
round  about,  and  all  the  sons  of  Aaron  in  their  glory,  and 
the  Lord's  oiTering  in  their  hands,  before  all  the  congre- 
gation of  Israel.  And  finishing  the  service  at  the  altars, 
that  he  might  adorn  the  offering  of  the  Most  High,  the 
Almighty,  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  the  cup,  and 
poured  of  the  blood  of  the  grape ;  he  poured  out  at  the 
foot  of  the  altar  a  sweet-smelling  savour  unto  the  Most 
High,  the  King  of  all.  Then  shouted  the  sons  of  Aaron, 
they  sounded  the  trumpets  of  beaten  work,  they  made  a 
great  noise  to  be  heard,  for  a  remembrance  before  the 
Most  High.  Then  all  the  people  together  hasted,  and  fell 
down  upon  the  earth  on  their  faces  to  worship  their  Lord, 
the  Almighty,  God  most  high.  The  singers  also  praised 
him  with  their  voices  ;  in  the  whole  house  was  there  made 
sweet  melody.  And  the  people  besought  the  Lord  Most 
High,  in  prayer  before  him  that  is  merciful,  till  the  worship 
of  the  Lord  should  be  ended.     And  so  they  accomplished 

i66 


The   Wisdom    of  Jesus  B^  Book  V  ii 

his  service.  Then  he  went  down,  and  hfted  up  his  hands 
over  the  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel,  to 
give  blessing  unto  the  Lord  with  his  lips,  and  to  glory  in 
his  name.  And  he  bowed  himself  down  in  worship  the 
second  time,  to  declare  the  blessing  from  the  Most  High. 
And  now  bless  ye  the  God  of  all,  which  everywhere 
doeth  great  things,  which  exalteth  our  days  from  the 
womb,  and  dealeth  with  us  according  to  his  mercy.  May 
he  grant  us  joyfulness  of  heart,  and  that  peace  may  be  in 
our  days  in  Israel  for  the  days  of  eternity :  to  intrust  his 
mercy  with  us ;  and  let  him  deliver  us  in  his  time. 

167 


-^  Ecclesiasticus  or  The  Wisdom  of  Jesus 

With  two  nations  is  my  soul  vexed, 
And  the  third  is  no  nation : 

They  that  sit  upon  the  mountain  of  Samaria, 

And  the  Phihstines, 
And  that  foolish  people  that  dwelleth  in  Sichem. 


*  * 
* 

I  have  written  in  this  book 

The  instruction  of  tinder  standing  and  knowledges 

I  Jesns 

The  son  of  Sirach  Eleazar 

Of  Jerusalem 

Who  out  of  his  heart 

poured  forth 

Wisdo7n. 


*  * 
* 


Blessed  is  he  that  shall  be  exercised  in  these  things ; 

And  he  that  layeth  them  up  in  his  heart  shall  become 
wise. 
For  if  he  do  them,  he  shall  be  strong  to  all  things : 
For  the  light  of  the  Lord  is  his  guide. 

i68 


Notes 


On   Quotations  and  Buried  Verses 

It  will  be  noted  in  this  edition  of  Ecclesiastictis  that  in  certain 
compositions  which  are  presented  as  prose,  there  occur  isolated 
passages  having  the  form  of  verse.  These  quotations,  or  verse 
passages  buried  in  prose  compositions,  are  both  interesting  in 
themselves,  and  further  furnish  an  important  instrument  of  exe- 
gesis, which  will  often  assist  over  obscurities  or  irregularities  of 
sentence  flow. 

To  begin  with  one  example  which  is  unquestionable.  In  the 
last  essay  of  Book  I,  that  on  '  The  Horror  of  Adultery,'  there 
is  thus  '  buried '  a  number  sonnet  on  the  same  theme. 

Two  sorts  of  men  multiply  si7is, 
And  the  third  will  bring  wrath  : 

A  Hot  Mind, 

A  Fornicator  in  the  body  of  his  flesh, 
A  Man  that  goeth  astray  from  his  own  Bed. 

No  literary  form  is  so  unmistakable  as  a  number  sonnet :  and 
the  above  is  found  without  the  omission  of  a  single  word  in  the 
essay;  only,  it  does  not  stand  out  by  itself,  but  is  '  buried  '  in  the 
prose  of  the  essay,  its  several  clauses  worked  into  sentences  of 
comment.     (See  page  74.) 

With  this  may  be  taken  other  cases,  scarcely  less  clear.  The 
epigram  represented  as  a  quotation  at  the   commencement  of 

171 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

IV.  vi  occurs  by  itself  as  I.  Ixxiii;  and  Fritzsche  recognises  this 
as  a  popular  proverb.  The  verses  printed  on  page  71  have  a 
flow  of  sentence  quite  different  from  the  uniform  flow  that  pre- 
cedes and  follows  in  Essay  I,  Ixxviii :  and  the  suggestion  of 
these  as  a  quotation  is  confirmed  by  what  seems  a  reference  to 
the  same  at  the  end  of  II.  xv.  To  my  own  mind  the  conclusion 
of  II.  xxiii  (see  page  102)  is  not  less  clearly  a  verse  quotation : 
parallelism  in  prose  can  be  carried  to  great  lengths,  but  a 
passage  which  is  found  to  be  a  pair  of  triplets,  with  a  third 
triplet  regularly  duplicated,  can  hardly  be  other  than  a  sonnet, 
or  portion  of  a  sonnet. 

The  objection  may  possibly  be  made  that  other  editors  treat 
the  whole  context  in  which  these  passages  occur  as  verse.  But 
this  does  not  meet  the  point :  the  question  here  is  not  what  is 
to  be  called  verse  and  what  prose,  but  whether  there  is  not  a 
break  or  divergence  between  the  literary  form  of  these  passages 
and  that  of  their  context,  such  as  a  citation  might  readily 
account  for. 

When  once  the  occurrence  of  such  '  buried  verses  '  has  been 
established,  it  will  be  easy  to  point  out  other  cases  in  which  such 
a  suggestion  cannot  indeed  be  insisted  on,  but  may  be  claimed 
as  an  improvement.  In  the  '  chapter  li,'  which  is  here  treated 
as  an  'Author's  Preface,'  occurs  a  passage  which,  if  printed  as 
straightforward  prose,  will  run  as  follows : 

And  I  lifted  tip  my  supplication  from  the   earth,  and 
prayed  for  deliverance  from   death.     I  called  upon  the 
Lord,  the  father  of  my  Lord^  thai  he  would  not  forsake  me 
172 


N  otes  B^ 

in  the  days  of  affliction,  in  the  time  when  there  was  no 
help  against  the  proud.  I  will  praise  thy  name  continu- 
ally, and  will  sing  praise  with  thanksgiving.  And  my 
supplication  was  heard :  for  thou  savedst  ?ne  from  de- 
struction, and  deliver edst  me  from  the  evil  time  :  therefore 
will  I  give  thanks  and  praise  unto  thee^  and  bless  the 
na??ie  of  the  Lord. 

The  grammatical  structure  of  this  passage  is  difficult,  not  to  say 
impossible,  and  altogether  out  of  keeping  with  the  easy  rhetoric 
flow  of  the  rest  of  this  preface.  The  sudden  future,  "I  will 
praise,"  might  stand  by  itself,  but  there  is  a  return  to  the  past 
—  "and  my  supplication  was  heard";  another  future  follows. 
Even  the  elasticity  of  the  parenthesis  can  hardly  be  stretched 
so  far  as  to  make  the  first  future  clause  harmonious.  But  if 
once  a  citation  be  supposed,  the  whole  becomes  easy. 

And  I  lifted  up   my  stipplication  frofn   the   earth ,   and 
prayed  for  deliverance  from  death. 

I  called  upon  the  Lord, 

The  father  of  my  Lord, 
That  he  would  not  forsake  fne  in  the  days  of  affliction  ; 

In  the  time  when  there  was   no  help  against  the 
proud :  — 
/  will  praise  thy  name  continually, 

Attd  will  sing  praise  with  thanksgiving. 

And  my  supplication  was   heard:   for   thou  savedst  me 
from  destruction,  and  deliver  edst  me  from  the  evil  time  : 

173 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

therefore   will  I  give  thanks   and  praise    unto   thee,  and 
bless  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

As  so  arranged  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  opening  prose  —  "I 
lifted  up  my  supplication  "  —  is  resumed  —  "And  my  supplica- 
tion was  heard  " :  what  comes  between  is  precisely  of  the  char- 
acter of  the  psalms  of  deliverance  in  which  the  psalter  abounds, 
and  in  which  the  abrupt  future  is  a  constant  feature  (compare 
Psalms  cxxxix.  14;  Ixix.  30;  Ixxi.  22;  cxliv.  9).  Moreover  the 
much-disputed  passage,  "  I  called  upon  the  Lord,  the  father  of 
my  Lord,"  is  less  difficult  to  understand  in  a  poetic  psalm  than 
in  an  autobiographical  preface. 

Again,  on  page  129  is  suggested  the  following  quotation: 

Of  sorrow  cometh  death  ; 

Arid  sorrow  of  heart  will  bow  down  the  strength. 
In  calamity  sorrow  also  re?naineth  ; 

And  the  poor  man^s  life  is  grievous  to  the  heart. 

The  essay  in  which  this  occurs  is  short  and  extremely  simple; 
every  sentence  of  it  has  to  do  with  the  one  topic  —  mourning 
for  the  dead.  Of  the  above  passage  the  first  two  lines  are 
strictly  relevant;  the  other  two  deal  with  sorrowful  circum- 
stances of  another  order.  Now,  it  is  quite  natural  for  a  writer, 
making  an  apposite  quotation,  to  cite  a  whole  verse  where  only 
half  of  it  is  essential  to  his  point;  but,  if  the  passage  be  not  a 
quotation,  it  is  impossible  to  understand  how  the  writer  puts 
one  wholly  irrelevant  sentence  into  the  midst  of  other  sentences 
which  are  all  to  the  point. 

174 


Notes  8^ 

It  would  be  tedious  to  discuss  every  single  case.  If  the 
reader  will  examine  the  verse  quotations  suggested  on  pages  38, 
94,  98,  104,  115,  119,  121,  142,  the  arrangement  will  speak 
for  itself. 

In  all  but  one  of  the  quotations  suggested  so  far  the  matter 
quoted  is  Wisdom  literature.  For  such  cases  the  term  *  quota- 
tion' is  almost  too  strong,  since  the  evolution  of  Wisdom 
literature  consists  in  a  gradual  progression  from  the  welding 
together  of  current  sayings  to  the  style  which  consists  in  the 
developing  of  thoughts.  I  pass  on  to  a  more  important  set  of 
citations,  found  in  the  two  compositions  of  Book  V  and  in  I.  liii, 
which  may  be  taken  with  these.  Here  the  case  for  recognising 
quotations  is  specially  strong;  moreover,  such  treatment  solves 
the  most  obscure  sentences  of  these  compositions,  and  the  pas- 
sages so  quoted  represent  a  special  literature  with  an  interest  of 
its  own. 

To  take  first  Essay  I.  liii.  The  verse  passages  —  I  refer  to 
the  first  three,  the  rest  being  gnomic  —  stand  out  from  their  con- 
text as  couched  in  different  style :  the  pictorial  phrase  '  gar- 
nished '  and  the  semipersonifications  of  the  first  passage,  the 
highly  poetical  expression  in  the  second,  "  He  set  his  eye  upon 
their  hearts,"  are  unlike  the  plain  prose  of  the  whole  essay. 
In  each  case  the  resumption  of  prose  after  the  suggested 
quotation  comes  in  naturally;  whereas  if  the  whole  be  supposed 
to  be  continuous  writing,  there  is  great  redundancy  and  repeti- 
tion. Similar  comments  may  be  made  on  passages  represented 
as  verse  on  pages  150  and  156.  The  first  does  not  join  on 
naturally  to  what  precedes  if  the  whole  be  continuous.    The 

175 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

second  disturbs  the  narrative  flow  of  sentences,  but  becomes 
entirely  natural  if  regarded  as  a  portion  of  a  priestly  hymn, 
introduced  to  support  the  statement :  "  He  gave  him  a  heritage." 
The  case  is  still  clearer  when  we  come  to  the  longer  quota- 
tion where  the  Praise  of  Famous  Men  reaches  the  name  of 
Solomon. 

How  wise  wast  thou  made  in  thy  youth, 

And  filled  as  a  river  with  understanding  ! 
Thy  soul  covered  the  earth, 

And  thou  filledst  it  with  dark  parables. 
Thy  name  reached  unto  the  isles  afar  off ; 

And  for  thy  peace  thou  wast  beloved. 
For  thy  songs  and  proverbs  and  parables, 

And  for  thi^te  interpretations^  the  countries  marvelled 
at  thee. 
By  the  name  of  the  Lord  God, 

Which  is  called  the  God  of  Israel, 
Thou  didst  gather  gold  as  tin. 

And  didst  multiply  silver  as  lead. 
Thoti  didst  bow  thy  loins  unto  women. 

And  in  thy  body  thou  wast  brought  into  subjection. 
Thou  didst  blemish  thine  honour. 

And  profane  thy  seed. 
To  bring  wrath  upon  thy  children  ; 

And  I  was  grieved  for  thy  folly  : 
So  that  the  sovereignty  was  divided. 

And  out  of  Ephraim  ruled  a  disobedient  kingdom. 
176 


Notes  B^ 

But  the  Lord  will  never  forsake  his  mercy  ; 

And  he  zvill  not  destroy  any  of  his  works. 
Nor  blot  out  the  posterity  of  his  elect  ; 

And  the  seed  of  him  that  loved  him  he  will  not  take 
away  ; 
And  he  gave  a  reinnant  tmto  Jacob, 

And  unto  David  a  root  out  of  him. 

Of  course  there  is  nothing  impossible  in  the  idea  of  a  prose  com- 
position apostrophising  a  personage  to  whom  it  alludes.  But  as 
a  matter  of  fact,  this  and  the  similar  passage  on  Elijah  are  the 
only  apostrophes  addressed  to  personages  in  Ecclesiasticus.  It 
will  be  seen  at  once  how  different  their  style  is  from  that  of 
the  context.  There  is,  moreover,  in  the  address  to  Solomon 
the  unusual  expression:  "And  I  was  grieved  for  thy  folly." 
Fritzsche  and  other  commentators  translate  the  aorist  by  a  pres- 
ent, and  understand  the  words  as  a  remark  of  the  author.  It  is 
natural  for  the  author  to  say  he  hates  particular  types  of  char- 
acter; it  would  be  less  natural  for  him  to  speak  of  being  grieved 
with  a  personage  who  had  been  dead  for  centuries.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  this  be  part  of  a  poetic  hymn,  the  '  I '  represents 
the  sudden  interposition  of  the  Divine  Speaker,  which  is  com- 
mon in  the  psalms  (compare  xxxii.  8  ;  xlvi,  lo  ;  xiv.  4  ;  xci.  14). 
The  apostrophe  to  Elijah  is  in  all  respects  an  important  and 
a  diflicult  passage. 

How  wast  thou  glorified,  O  Elijah^  in  thy  wondrous 
deeds  I 
And  who  shall  glory  like  unto  thee  ? 
N  177 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

PV/io  did  raise  up  a  dead  man  from  deaths 

And  fro7n  the  place  of  the  dead^  by  the  word  of  the 
Most  High  ; 
Who  brought  down  kings  to  destrjiction, 

And  honourable  mett  frotn  their  bed  : 
Who  heard  rebuke  in  Sinai^ 

And  jtidgements  of  vengeance  in  Horeb  ; 
Who  anointed  kings  for  retribution, 

And  prophets  to  succeed  after  him  ; 
Who  tvas  taken  up  in  a  tempest  of  fire, 

In  a  chariot  offejy  horses  ; 
Who  zvas  recorded  for  reproofs  in  their  seasons. 

To  pacify  anger  before  it  brake  forth  into  zvraih  ; 
To  turn  the  heart  of  the  father  unto  the  son, 

And  to  restore  the  tribes  of  Jacob. 

Blessed  are  they  that  saw  thee. 

And  they  that  have  been  beautified  with  love  : 
For  we  also  shall  surely  live. 

Elijah  it  ivas  zvho  luas  wrapped  in  a  tempest :  and  Elisha 
was  filled  2vith  his  spirit ;  and  in  all  his  days  he  tvas  not 
7noved  by  fear  of  any  ruler.,  and  no  one  brought  hif?i  into 
subjection. 

The  prose  portion  of  this  extract  seems  difficult  if  one  author 
has  been  speaking  throughout ;  all  is  quite  natural  if  it  be  read 
as  the  author  commenting  on  a  quotation  he  has  made.     It  is 

178 


Notes  5^ 

the  concluding  triplet  which  needs  his  comment ;  and  he  says  in 
effect  that,  Elijah  being  the  subject  of  the  whole  description, 
Elisha  is  the  one  to  be  understood  in  connection  with  the  words, 
"  they  that  have  been  beautified  with  love " :  Elisha  was  the 
loved  companion  who  saw  his  master  taken  up,  and  so  was  filled 
with  his  spirit. 

This  arrangement  further  throws  light  upon  the  third  line  of 
that  triplet, 

J^or  zve  also  shall  surely  live  — 

which  is  perhaps  the  most  difficult  passage  in  Ecclesiasticus. 
The  words  are  surely  a  small  peg  on  which  to  hang  a  resurrec- 
tion doctrine  which  appears  nowhere  else  in  our  author.  Nor  is 
the  passage  made  clear  by  trying  to  associate  it  with  Messianic 
hopes  :  the  words  are  too  vague  to  hold  such  a  meaning.  But 
if  we  have  here  a  prophetic  hymn  —  a  hymn  perhaps  emanating 
originally  from  the  very  schools  of  prophets  which  figure  so 
prominently  in  the  biblical  story  of  Elijah  and  Elisha  —  then  the 
words,  "  we  also  shall  surely  live,"  are  a  simple  expression  on 
the  part  of  the  singers  of  the  sense  of  deliverance  wrought  by  the 
heroic  Elijah  for  the  worshippers  of  Jehovah  compelled  under 
Jezebel  to  hide  in  caves  and  dens.  In  any  case,  what  obscurity 
may  attach  to  that  line  is  of  less  consequence  if  it  be  a  portion 
of  an  old  hymn  than  if  it  contain  the  words  of  the  son  of  Sirach 
himself. 

Another  difficult  passage  is  found  where  this  Praise  of  Famous 
Men  reaches  Ezekiel  and  the  later  worthies.  Printed  as  con- 
tinuous prose  it  would  run  as  follows : 

179 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

//  was  Ezekiel  who  saw  the  vision  of  glory,  which  God 
shewed  him  upon  the  chariot  of  the  cheruH?n.  For  verily 
he  remembered  the  ene^nies  in  storm,  and  to  do  good  to 
them  that  directed  their  ways  aright.  Also  of  the  twelve 
prophets  may  the  bones  flourish  again  out  of  their  place. 
And  he  comforted  Jacob,  and  delivered  them  by  confidence 
of  hope.  How  shall  we  magnify  Zerubbabel?  And  he 
was  as  a  signet  on  the  right  hand :  so  was  Jesus  the  son 
of  Josedek  :  etc. 

Every  commentator  finds  the  exegesis  of  this  passage  difficult. 
Fritzsche  and  others  transpose  sentences,  so  as  to  take  the  words 
"  he  comforted  Jacob  "  with  the  reference  to  Ezekiel  before  the 
twelve  prophets  are  mentioned.  But  this  does  not  strip  the  pas- 
sage of  difficulties;  and  in  particular  the  connective  particles 
are  unnatural.  But  without  any  alteration  the  passage  may 
be  made  intelligible  by  distribution  between  the  author's  own 
words  and  his  brief  quotations  from  prophetic  hymns. 

//  was  Ezekiel  who  saw  the  vision  of  glory,  which  God 
shewed  him  upon  the  chariot  of  the  cherubim  — 

For  verily  He  reviembered  the  enemies  in  storm. 

And  to  do  good  to  the?n  that  directed  their  ways  aright — 

Also  of  the  tivelve  prophets  may  the  bodies  flourish  again 
out  of  their  place  — 

And  He  comforted  Jacob, 
And  delivered  them  by  confidence  of  hope  — 
i8o 


Notes  S«- 

How  shall  we  magnify  Zertibbabel  ?  — 

And  he  was  as  a  signet  07t  the  right  hand— 
so  was  Jesus  the  son  ofjosedek:  etc. 

The  writer  has  been  touching  in  his  own  words  upon  succes- 
sive worthies,  and  supplementing  his  treatment  by  citations 
from  familiar  hymns.  When  he  reaches  Ezekiel  and  the  minor 
prophets  he  is  compelled  to  quicken  his  pace;  his  own  remarks 
become  single  sentences,  his  quotations  mere  snatches.  The 
lines  written  above  as  verses  are  intelligible  as  broken  quotations 
from  a  hymn,  and  the  '  he '  of  the  first  four  lines  refers  to  God. 
There  is  a  close  precedent  for  this  supporting  of  hurried  narra- 
tive by  snatches  of  song  in  Fsalm  Ixviii;  verses  12-14  of  which 
are  now  generally  interpreted  as  fragments  of  battle  songs. 

It  is  evident  that  the  plea  for  the  recognition  of  quoted  pas- 
sages gains  with  the  multiplication  of  the  cases  where  such  an 
explanation  seems  in  point.  It  becomes  stronger  still  when  we 
recognise  a  family  likeness  in  the  passages  put  forward  as  cita- 
tions. If  the  reader  will  read  together  the  passages  so  suggested 
on  pages  52,  53,  150,  156,  160,  161,  162,  164,  he  will  be  struck 
with  their  uniformity  of  style.  All  are  composed  in  the  same 
flow  of  alternate  parallelism,  such  as  would  be  consistent  with 
their  forming  parts  of  one  whole,  or  of  a  series  of  similar  poems. 
And  the  general  model  is  that  found  in  Psalm  cv,  together  with 
what  are  modifications  of  that  poem  —  Psalms  Ixxviii,  cvi.  The 
whole  points  to  a  literature  of  prophetic  hymns :  traditional  rather 
than  written,  and  thus  admitting  free  modification  such  as  might 

181 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

make  the  hundred  and  fifth  psalm  into  the  seventy-eighth  or 
hundred  and  sixth,  when  the  bright  period  of  the  first  life  in 
Canaan  had  given  place  to  the  solitude  of  Judah  after  Israel  had 
been  carried  away,  or  even  to  the  captivity  of  Judah  itself. 
Such  poems  seem  to  start  with  the  calling  of  a  chosen  people, 
with  the  appointment  of  priests  and  their  feast  days,  with  the 
succession  of  prophets  and  kings.  All  the  extracts  here  dealt 
with  would  fit  into  the  different  parts  of  such  a  poem.  One 
passage,  indeed,  seems  separate  from  the  others :  that  (on  page 
150)  dealing  with  the  heavenly  bodies.  But  it  is  noticeable  that 
the  creation  of  sun,  moon,  and  stars  is  given  a  place  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  hundred  and  thirty-sixth  psalm,  which  seems 
the  primitive  model  of  these  national  anthems,  belonging  by 
internal  evidence  to  a  history  that  is  not  carried  further  than  the 
wilderness  and  conquests  on  the  east  of  Jordan.* 

TITLE:   ECCLESIASTICUS 

This  is  the  title  in  the  Vulgate,  and  seems  to  have  come  into 
use  in  the  fourth  century.  It  is  antithetic  to  'canonical'; 
and  is  thus  a  book  'for  reading  in  church,'  as  distinguished 
from  a  book  of  authority  in  matters  of  faith.  But  in  long  usage 
the  title  has  been  so  much  identified  with  the  *  Wisdom  of  Jesus 
the  son  of  Sirach '  as  to  have  become  the  usual  name  for  it. 

*  See  on  National  Anthems  in  my  Literary  Study  of  the  Bible,  page  142 
(D.  C.  Heath  &  Co.,  Boston;  Isbister  &  Co.,  London). 

182 


Notes  £^ 


PREFACE  BY  THE  TRANSLATOR 

This  is  self-explaining.  The  materials  it  affords  for  determin- 
ing the  date  of  the  original  composition  are  not  as  decisive 
as  they  at  first  appear,  inasmuch  as  there  are  two  kings  bearing 
the  name  Euergetes.  But  there  is  a  fair  consensus  in  favour  of 
a  date  about  200  B.C. 

Textual  questions  are  excluded  from  this  series,  which  accepts 
the  text  of  the  Revised  Version,  or  its  marginal  alternatives.  A 
remark,  however,  may  be  permitted  on  the  peculiarity  of  Eccle- 
siasticus  as  the  representative  of  a  lost  Hebrew  work  through  a 
Greek  translation.  There  are  other  versions,  especially  a  Syriac 
Version ;  and  experts  are  divided  on  the  question  whether  this 
Syriac  Version  is  made  from  the  Greek  translation  or  indepen- 
dently from  the  original  Hebrew.  The  Revisers  appear  from 
their  results  not  to  have  given  independent  weight  to  this 
Syriac  Version.  I  point  out  in  the  notes  a  few  passages  where 
difficulties  in  the  English  text  are  simplified  if  suggestions  based 
on  the  Syriac  Version  be  accepted. 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 

On  this  compare  Introduction  page  xv.  I  called  upon  the 
Lord^  the  father  of  my  Lord,  etc.  For  the  suggestion  of  a  verse 
quotation,  see  above,  page  172.  The  expression  the  father  of 
viy  Lord  seems  impossible  in  a  work  of  this  date.  The 
parallel  sometimes  cited  (^Psalm  ex.  i)  gives  it  but  little  support. 

183 


-5S  Ecclesiasticus 

The  Revised  Version  has  followed  the  unanimous  authority  of 
the  Greek  manuscripts.  But  it  is  pointed  out  (by  Edersheim, 
in  Wace's  Commentary,  and  others)  that  the  Syriac  Version 
would  give  unto  the  Lord,  my  Father,  O  Lord :  suggesting 
a  slight  misreading  of  the  Hebrew  by  the  Greek  translator.  As 
pointed  out  above  (page  174),  the  reading  in  the  English  text 
is  slightly  less  difficult  if  the  passage  be  part  of  a  hymn  than  if 
it  be  the  words  of  Ben-Sirach. 

BOOK  I 

i.  This  sonnet  combines  antistrophic  and  stanza  structure 
(compare  Proverbs  I.  iii  and  xvi).  In  the  series  of  stanzas 
there  is  the  further  effect  of  augmenting  {^Proverbs,  page  168): 
from  three  lines  to  five  lines,  six  lines  ;  finally  there  is  a  return 
to  three  lines. 

ii.  For  these  and  other  *  maxims '  compare  Introduction, 
page  xi. 

iv.  This  passage  is  variously  translated.  As  rendered  by 
Revised  Version,  the  point  of  the  comment  seems  to  be  that 
hypocritical  worship  is  equivalent  to  rebellion  against  the  au- 
thority of  God. 

vi.  Sonnet  with  stanza  structure:  intermixture  of  two  kinds' 
of  stanza :  triple  triplets  (strengthened  by  refrains)  and  simple 
quatrains.  The  triplet  stanzas  convey  exhortation  and  expos- 
tulation ;  the  quatrains,  confidence. 

vii.  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Honour  in  general  to  parents 
—  special  consideration  for  parents  in  old  age. 

184 


Notes  6^ 

xiv.  Be  not  ashamed  concerning  thy  soul.  The  context  shews 
the  meaning  of  this  to  be :  do  not  let  shame  hinder  thee  in  a 
matter  in  which  thy  soul  is  concerned. 

XLX.  An  Epigram.  I  understand  this  literary  form  (^Proverbs, 
Introduction,  page  xxii)  to  indicate  a  unit  proverb  expanded  : 
two  lines  of  an  epigram  (not  necessarily  consecutive)  contain  the 
proverb  germ,  and  the  rest  are  for  exegesis  or  emphasis.  The 
germ  lines  stand  out  to  the  left  in  the  printing  adopted  in  this 
series.  In  the  present  case,  the  first  and  third  lines  together 
would  make  a  proverb  couplet. 

xxi.  For  the  Proverb  Cluster,  compare  Proverbs  volume, 
Introduction,  page  xxii  ;  and  for  examples  Proverbs  IV.  i,  xxiii, 
xxiv,  xxv. 

The  last  epigram  of  this  cluster  is  of  a  form  that  occurs  only 
in  two  other  cases  (^Proverbs  IV.  i;  and  below.  III.  viii).  The 
comment  precedes  the  text  and  prepares  for  it.  The  present 
case  is  difficult,  but  the  last  two  lines  must  be  the  germ  proverb. 
The  'evil  name'  is  the  'great  matter,'  which  incurs  hostility; 
the  point  of  the  proverb  is  that  the  double  tongue  is  only  a 
smaller  case  of  the  same  evil. 

xxii.  Assuming  the  translation  of  the  Re\dsed  Version,  we 
must  suppose  the  comment  of  this  maxim  to  be  an  enlargement : 
one  image  is  supported  by  another.  But  it  must  be  confessed 
that  the  first  image  —  of  the  bull  —  is  very  difficult  to  catch. 
Edersheim  understands  of  a  bull  straying  alone.  It  would  be 
more  to  the  point  to  compare  the  blind  rush  of  a  bull  against  a 
wall  to  his  own  destruction.  Most  commentators  emend  the 
Greek :    by  the  smallest  of  changes  (Jibs  stauros  instead  of  hbs 

185 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

tauros)  the  reading  becomes  *'  as  a  palm  "  :  this  directly  con- 
nects with  what  follows,  and  one  image  is  preserved  throughout 
the  whole  maxim. 

xxiv.  An  Essay  in  three  paragraphs :  Pursuit  of  wisdom 
without  understanding  must  fail  —  with  understanding  it  will 
be  a  glorious  success  —  if  the  means  be  applied  the  end  must 
follow. 

Stone  of  trial :  compare  Zechariah  xii.  3.  An  athletic  test: 
the  unwise  man  will  soon  drop  it.  —  IVisdom  is  according  to  her 
name:  this  is  one  of  the  recognised  difficulties  of  the  book. 
The  natural  explanation  seems  to  be  a  play  upon  words  in  the 
original  Hebrew,  which,  however,  no  Hebrew  experts  are  now 
able  to  discover.  Fritzsche,  as  an  alternative  possible  explana- 
tion, understands  reputation  by  '  name ' :  wisdom  is  as  inacces- 
sible as  the  high  reputation  in  which  it  is  held  would  lead  us  to 
expect. 

xxvi.  This  difficult  passage  is  best  arranged  as  a  maxim.  The 
point  of  the  exegetical  comment  is  that  pharisaism  is  a  sort  of 
spiritual  ambition. 

xxxix  and  xl.  Here  we  find  precepts  of  behaviour  so  grouped 
as  to  make  two  essays.  The  second,  on  adaptation  of  behaviour 
to  various  sorts  of  men,  becomes  slightly  organic  by  the  middle 
portion  dealing  with  behaviour  to  woman. 

xli.  An  Essay.  The  point  of  the  first  sentence,  and  so  of 
the  whole,  is  that  it  is  wise  speech  (or  instruction)  that  makes 
the  artist  in  the  art  of  government. 

xlii.  An  Essay  in  three  paragraphs :  Pride  is  a  disease  and 
source  of  Divine  visitations  —  no  greatness  is  greater  than  the 

186 


Notes  S«^ 

fear  o^the  Lord  —  not  outer  things  but  inner  qualities  make 
true  greatness. 

xlv.  An  Essay  on  the  Choice  of  Company,  in  five  para- 
graphs :  The  clanger  of  unknown  company  in  a  house  —  the 
good  only  are  proper  objects  of  charity  —  friendship  not  trust- 
worthy until  tested  by  adversity —  the  humble  can  only  be  de- 
filed by  contact  with  the  proud  —  like  will  to  like,  and  riches 
cannot  consort  v.'ith  poverty. 

xlix.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Niggardliness  violates 
duty  to  self —  duty  to  self  emphasised  by  the  shortness  of  life. 

1.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs  :  The  pursuit  and  winning  of 
wisdom  —  the  successful  in  this  are  the  fearers  of  the  Lord. — 
Praise  is  not  comely  in  the  mouth  of  a  sinner  :  compare  Intro- 
duction, pages  xix,  xx. 

lii.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs  :  No  safety  for  sinners  in 
their  numbers  —  as  little  in  their  insignificance. 

The  giants  of  old  time  :  compare  Genesis  vi.  1-4  —  the  people 
of  perdition :  as  the  illustrations  follow  in  chronological  order 
this  would  seem  to  refer  to  the  Egyptian  army  drowned  in  the 
Red  Sea  —  the  six  hundred  thousand  footmeji  :  compare  V.  ii 
(page  158).  —  And  there  is  a  tempest  zuhich  no  man  shall  see  : 
i.e.  till  it  is  upon  them.  —  "  Who  shall  declare,^''  etc. :  the  words 
in  quotation  marks  are  supposed  to  be  spoken  by  the  man 
wanting  in  understa^iding  of  the  following  sentence. 

liii.  Compare  Introduction,  page  xxiv ;  and  for  the  quota- 
tions, see  above,  page  175. 

This  is  an  Essay,  am.ounting  to  a  formal  rhetoric  creed:  a 
few  words  of  solemn  introduction,  and  four  paragraphs:   God 

187 


-«S  Ecclesiasticus 

the  Creator  of  nature  —  God  the  Creator  of  responsible  man  — 
responsibility  involves  frailty  and  repentance,  and  the  Creator 
is  merciful  —  the  Creator's  omnipotence  is  a  measure  of  his 
mercy. — The  last  paragraph  is  strikingly  close  to  Wisdom  xi. 

21-6. 

He  set  his  eye  upon  their  heat'ts :  i.e.  the  Creator  has  given 
man  a  portion  of  the  Divine  insight  into  the  wonders  of  nature. 
Compare  Ecdesiastes  iii,  1 1 .  —  Fo7'  every  nation  he  appointed  a 
ruler:  there  are  two  possible  interpretations  of  this  passage, 
(i)  It  may  refer  to  angelic  overseers,  such  as  are  recognised  in 
the  prologue  to  Job,  and  (according  to  Cheyne)  in  Psalm  Ixxxii. 
Or  (2)  it  may  be  an  assertion  of  the  theocracy  of  Israel  (com- 
pare Deuteronomy  xxxii.  8,  9).  From  the  small  prominence  of 
angelology  in  this  work  (if  indeed  it  appears  at  all),  I  prefer  the 
latter  explanation.  —  He  looketh  upon  the  power,  etc.  :  he  is  the 
Sun. 

Ix.  An  Essay  on  Wisdom  and  its  Counterfeits,  in  six  clearly 
marked  paragraphs :  Counterfeit  knowledge,  the  knowledge  of 
wickedness  —  counterfeit  subtlety,  hypocrisy  —  counterfeit  re- 
proof, violence  —  counterfeit  wise  speech,  as  contrasted  with 
wise  silence  —  counterfeit  prosperity  and  adversity  —  counterfeit 
wit. 

Ixxiv.  Like  one  that  gathereth  himself  stones  against  winter. 
The  image  is  a  difficult  one,  but  I  can  offer  no  better  explanation 
than  that  of  stones  instead  of  wood.  Or  perhaps  '  stone '  is  used 
(as  in  Luke  iv.  3  ;  xi.  ii)  as  antithetic  to  '  bread.'  This  passage 
and  Ecdesiastes  iii.  5  suggest  that '  gathering  stones '  may  have 
been  a  proverbial  expression,  of  which  the  point  is  now  lost. 


Notes  ^ 

Edersheim  (in  Wace's  Commentary'),  assuming  a  misreading  of 
the  Hebrew,  translates :  "  stones  for  the  tomb  of  his  burial." 

Ixxv.  T/ie  lips  of  strangers  ivill  be  grieved  at  these  things: 
the  R.  V.  gives  it  thus,  adding  that  the  Greek  text  is  probably 
corrupt.  If  so  translated,  the  words  must  be  part  of  the  preced- 
ing maxim;  the  'these  things'  will  be  the  gossip  gathered  by 
such  eavesdropping. 

Ixxvi.  Satan:  the  only  reference  to  Satan  in  this  work. 
The  proverb  is  too  general  to  throw  any  light  on  the  conception 
of  this  being. 

Ixxviii.  I  have  felt  considerable  difficulty  about  the  division 
of  the  text  here;  on  the  whole  it  seems  best  to  make  the  whole 
passage  an  Essay  on  the  Stedfast  Friend  and  the  Uncertain. 
First  we  have  three  images  of  unstedfastness;  then  two  images 
of  irritable  behaviour,  the  last  bringing  the  first  mention  of 
friendship  as  that  to  which  the  images  are  applied.  The  rest 
continues  the  theme  of  friendship  and  nagging  behaviour. — 
For  the  quotation,  compare  above,  page  172. 

Ixxix.  A  Prayer  in  Sonnet  form.  It  furnishes  an  interesting 
application  of  duplication  to  antistrophic  structure  (see  Proverbs 
volume,  page  168);  a  quatrain  question  (strophe  i)  has  a  coup- 
let answer  (strophe  2) ;  then  the  question  is  duplicated  into  an 
octet  (antistrophe  i),  and  the  answer  is  duplicated  into  a 
quatrain  (antistrophe  2).  Strophe  and  antistrophe  2  have  a 
line  of  invocation  outside  their  structure. 

It  is  worth  while  to  note  how  blind  to  anything  like  literary 
structure  were  those  who  were  originally  responsible  for  the 
division  of  chapters.      Chapter  xxii    ends  with  a  question,   of 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

which  the  answer  belongs  to  the  first  verse  of  the  chapter  fol- 
lowing; although  the  form  of  question  and  answer  are  empha- 
sised by  being  repeated.  Other  examples  may  be  noted  at  the 
beginning  of  chapters  vi,  xix,  xxvii. 

ixxxi.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Uncleanness  and  adul- 
tery in  man  —  in  woman.  For  the  number  sonnet  buried  in 
this  essay,  see  above,  page  171. 

BOOK  II 

Preface.  On  this  Preface,  with  the  Monologue  it  contains, 
see  Introduction,  page  xiv. 

The  Monologue  is  in  alternate  parallelism,  with  a  middle  cli- 
max in  stanzas  (three  sextets  varied :  for  variation  see  Proverbs 
volume,  page  168). 

That  inaketh  instruction  to  shine  forth  as  the  light,  as  Gihon 
in  the  days  of  vintage.  Most  commentators  hold  that  the  Greek 
word  translated  *  light '  was  a  misreading  for  another  Hebrew 
word  signifying  *  the  River,'  namely  the  Nile.  So  *  Gihon,'  be- 
sides being  the  name  of  a  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem, 
is  also  used  for  the  Nile  in  the  LXX  of  yeremiah  ii.  18.  The 
run  of  the  whole  passage  suggests  the  name  of  a  river  in  this 
place;  and  the  Syriac  version  so  interprets  it. 

iii.  In  the  last  line  but  one  of  this  number  sonnet  the  R.  V. 
(with  the  greater  part  of  the  Greek  MSS.)  reads  The  fear  of  the 
Lord.  But  this  leaves  the  number  sonnet  without  the  tenth 
item  promised  by  its  introductory  words :  which  is  impossible. 
The  Syriac  version  introduces  (after  the  tenth  line)  the  clause : 

190 


Notes  B«- 

Happy  is  he  who  is  not  cast  down  in  poverty.  And  who  in  mis- 
fortune does  not  lose  courage.  But  this  is  evidently  the  conject- 
ure of  one  who  has  not  caught  the  form  of  the  sonnet,  in  which 
the  nine  items  are  being  enumerated  in  nine  lines,  and  a  longer 
expression  is  reserved  for  the  climax.  The  reading  The  Love  of 
the  Lord  has  the  support  of  one  important  MS.,  and  makes  the 
form  of  the  sonnet  exact. 

iv.  The  head  of  a  serpent.  So  the  Greek.  But  it  has  been 
pointed  out  that  a  Hebrew  word  has  the  two  meanings  of  'head' 
and  '  venom ' :  this  was  probably  the  word  in  the  original,  and 
it  has  been  misinterpreted. 

zv.    As  a  bird,  etc. :  compare  above,  page  172. 

xvii.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Vengeance  and  its  retribu- 
tion —  forgiveness. 

xix.  An  Essay  in  four  paragraphs :  Lending  and  repaying  — 
the  ways  of  debtors  —  charity  as  a  motive  for  lending  —  risks  of 
lending. 

xxii.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Health  the  supreme  good 
—  cheerfulness  a  promoter  of  health. 

xxiii.    For  the  verse  quotation,  see  above,  page  172. 

xxiv.  An  Essay  in  five  paragraphs :  Greedy  eating  —  moder- 
ate eating  and  health  —  hospitality  —  temperance  in  wine  — 
behaviour  at  a  feast. 

xxxix.  An  Essay  tracing  an  analogy,  in  three  paragraphs: 
One  sunshine,  yet  God  has  made  days  sacred  and  days  secular  — 
one  origin  of  man,  yet  God  has  exalted  some  and  overthrown 
others  —  Good  and  Life,  Evil  and  Death,  these  make  one  of  the 
oppositions  that  are  traced  through  all  nature. 

191 


-^S  Ecclesiasticus 

The  last  paragraph  is  not  an  assertion  of  predestination  of 
individuals  (compare  I,  li),  but  an  answer  to  the  question,  Why 
has  not  God  made  all  men  good? 

BOOK  III 

Preface.    See  Introduction,  page  xv, 

ii.  An  Essay  on  Servants,  in  two  paragraphs:  Work — good 
treatment. 

V.  The  structure  of  this  Sonnet  gives  four  similar  triplet  stan- 
zas, the  last  '  interrupted '  (compare  Proverbs  volume,  page  169). 

vi.  An  Essay  in  five  paragraphs :  Sacrifice  with  wrongdoing 
—  sacrifice  without  rightdoing  —  liberality  in  offerings  —  sacri- 
fice is  not  bribery  —  the  power  of  humble  prayer. 

viii.    See  above,  note  to  I.  xxi. 

xii.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Counsel  —  different  kinds 
of  counsellors. 

The  second  paragraph  is  obscure;  I  have  elsewhere  inter- 
preted it  as  follows.  Man's  whole  experience  for  good  or  evil 
depends  upon  the  direction  of  his  purposes;  and  a  force  con- 
tinually influencing  these  purposes  is  the  speech  of  his  fellow- 
men.  Hence  the  importance  of  marking  the  characters  of  those 
who  counsel.  One  type  has  the  power  of  imparting  instruction, 
but  no  morale  to  make  the  instruction  worth  having :  for  all  his 
wisdom,  he  is  unprofitable  to  his  own  soul.  One  is  false  in 
speech,  and  so  wholly  hateful.  A  third  has  his  wisdom  bounded 
by  selfishness;  but  what  he  is  willing  to  speak  will  be  worth 
marking.     The  truly  wise  will  have  not  only  wisdom,  but  also 

192 


Notes  ^ 

the  desire  to  impart  it  to  his  fellow-cc  antrymen;  his  blessedness 
will  be  as  much  beyond  that  of  the  other  as  a  nation  is  wider 
and  more  lasting  than  an  individual. 

xiii.  An  Essay  in  three  paragraphs:  Regimen  in  health  — 
the  physician  —  regimen  in  disease. 

xiv.    For  the  poetic  quotation,  see  above,  page  174. 

XV.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs:  Wisdom  of  the  busy  —  of 
the  man  of  leisure. 

BOOK  IV 

Preface  with  Encomium.  It  is  not  without  great  hesitation 
that  I  present  this  as  a  rhetoric  encomium,  and  not  a  hymn. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  the  simple  parallelism  (of  ad- 
jacent lines),  as  distinguished  from  high  parallelism  (between 
clauses  widely  separate),  is  as  thoroughly  within  the  scope  of 
rhetoric  as  of  Hebrew  versification.  On  the  other  hand,  there 
are  clauses  in  this  passage  which  suit  prose  literature  better  than 
verse.  The  introductory  words — Give  titterance  to  his  praise 
with  the  songs  of  your  lips,  and  with  harps  ;  and  thus  shall  ye 
say  when  ye  titter  his  praise  —  at  first,  no  doubt,  suggest  a  hymn 
to  follow.  But  a  careful  study  of  the  whole  leaves  on  me  the 
impression  that  what  is  added  is  intended  as  the  philosophical 
theory  on  which  praise  is  to  be  founded,  not  the  praise  itself. 
Again,  the  position  of  this  composition  in  the  whole  work,  in 
which  rhetoric  style  can  be  seen  to  be  steadily  gaining  ground 
as  against  poetic  and  strictly  gnomic,  favours  the  classification 
as  an  encomium. 

o  193 


-^  Ecclesiasticus 

The  argument  is  in  two  paragraphs :  All  things  are  good 
in  their  seasons  —  all  things  (even  evil)  have  their  uses.  —  The 
whole  makes  up  the  Philosophy  of  Times  and  Seasons  cited  and 
attacked  in  Ecclesiastes,  chapter  iii. 

ii.  A  pair  of  Sonnets :  each  an  enumeration  working  to  a 
climax  in  the  phrase  *  Garden  of  Blessings.'  The  first  has 
couplets  of  alternate  parallelism,  climaxing  in  a  couplet  of  sim- 
ilar parallelism;  the  second  has  similar  triplets  climaxing  in  a 
quatrain. 

iv.  Sonnet  in  antistrophic  structure  with  a  conclusion 
{Proverbs  yo\\xxivt,  page  165). 

vi.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  What  to  be  ashamed  of — 
what  not  to  be  ashamed  of. 

vii.  An  Essay  in  two  paragraphs :  Trouble  from  a  daughter  — 
from  women  in  general. 

BOOK  V 

i.    For  the  verse  quotations,  see  above,  page  175. 

ii.  On  the  general  matter  of  this  encomium  compare  Introduc- 
tion, page  xxix.  For  the  verse  quotations,  see  above,  pages 
176-81. 

Page  161 :  And  I  was  grieved  for  thy  folly :  see  above,  page  177. 

Page  162:  Blessed  are  they  that  saw  thee  .  .  .  for  we  also 
shall  surely  live  :  this  important  passage  is  fully  discussed  above, 
pages  177-9. 

Page    164:    He  remembered  the  enemies  in  storm:   for  this, 

and  the   difficulties   of  the   sentences  that   follow,  see  above, 

pages  179-81. 

194 


Notes  B^ 


Page  1 68  or  Epilogue 

T/iey  that  sit  upon  the  mountain  of  Samaria.  So  the  R.  V. 
and  all  Greek  jNISS.  The  difficulty  is  that  the  fifth  line,  And 
that  foolish  people  that  divelleth  in  Sichem,  can  refer  to  nothing 
but  the  Samaritans.  The  Syriac  and  other  versions  give  in  the 
first  line,  Mount  Seir :  suggesting  that  the  original  Hebrew 
word  was  a  term  for  *  mountain  country,'  which  was  tradition- 
ally used  of  a  region  of  Edom.  —  If  the  R.  V.  translation  be 
maintained,  the  only  explanation  can  be  a  surprise  saying,  some- 
thing like  the  familiar  quotation:  "The  first  thing  in  oratory 
is  action,  the  second  is  action,  and  the  third  is  action,"  But 
there  is  no  case  resembling  this  in  the  biblical  epigrams  or 
sonnets. 

195 


Index 


REFERENCE  TABLE 

To  connect  the  Numiering  in  the  Present  Edition  with  the  Chapters 
and  Verses  of  the  Apocrypha 


Chap.     Verse 
Author's  Preface  ....  LI 

Book  I 
I  I 

i 22 

ii 25 

V  28 

V II  I 

7 

I 

17 

29 

30 

31 

1 

II 

20 

29 

30 

31 

I 

2 

4 

9 

2 


III 


IV 


VI    

vii 

viii 

ix  , 

X 

xi  

xii 

xiii 

xiv 

XV    

xvi 

xvii 

xviii V 

xix 

XX 

xxi 

xxii VI 


Chap.     Verse 

xxiii VI              5 

xxiv    18 

XXV VII              I 

xxvi 4 

xxvii 7 

xxviii   8 

xxix    9 

XXX 10 

xxxi   II 

xxxii 12 

xxxiii   13 

xxxiv    14 

XXXV 15 

xxxvi    16 

xxxvii 17 

xxxviii    18 

xxxix    19 

xl VIII  I 

xli IX            17 

xlii X              6 

xliii XI              7 

xliv II 

xlv    29 

xlvi XIII  25 


199 


-^  Reference   Table 


Chap. 

xlvii XIII 

xlviii XIV 

xlix  

1 

li   XV 

lii XVI 

liii 

liv   XVIII 

Iv 

Ivi   

Ivii 

Iviii  

lix   XIX 

Ix 

Ixi XX 

Ixii 

Ixiii  

Ixiv   

Ixv 

Ixvi   

Ixvii 

Ixviii 

Ixix   

Ixx 

Ixxi 

Ixxii 

Ixxiii 

Ixxiv  XXI 

Ixxv 

Ixxvi   

Ixxvii XXII 

Ixxviii 

Ixxix 


Verse  Chap.     Verse 

26  Ixxx XXIII  7 

I  Ixxxi 16 

II  Preface XXIV              i 

I  i XXV             I 

24  ii 3 

15  "i 7 

19  iv  13 

28  V 16 

29  vi  XXVI  7 

30  vii 28 

4  viii 29 

20  ix XXVII  3 

14  X 4 

16  xi   8 

18  xii 9 

19  xiii   10 

20  xiv  II 

21  XV 16 

22  xvi   22 

23  xvii 25 

24  xviii XXVIII  12 

27  xix XXIX  I 

28  XX 21 

29  xxi XXX  I 

30  xxii 14 

I  xxiii XXXI              I 

II  xxiv  12 

27  XXV XXXII            14 

6  xxvi  15 

16  xxvii 16 

27  xxviii 18 

200 


Reference    Table  S«^ 


Chap, 
xxix  XXXli 

XXX 

xxxi   

xxxii 

xxxiii XXXIII 

xxxiv 

xxxv 

xxxvi 

xxxvii 

xxxviii 

xxxix  

Book  III 

Preface 

i 

ii 

iii  XXXIV 

iv    

V 

vi   

vii XXXVI 

viii 


Verse 

19 
20 

23 
24 

I 
2 
3 
4 

5 
6 

7 


16 

19 
24 

I 

9 

13 

18 

I 
18 


Chap. 

ix XXXVI 

X    

xi XXXVII 

xii 

xiii 

xiv XXXVIII 

XV 

Book  IV 

Preface XXXIX 

XL 


1  . . 
ii  . 
iii . 
iv 
V  . 
vi 
vii 


Book  V 


Epilogue  . . .. 

201 


XLI 


XLII 


XLIV 
L 


Verse 
20 
21 

I 

7 
27 
16 
24 


12 
I 

II 

28 
I 
5 

14 
9 


15 

I 

25 


GENERAL  INDEX 

Page 

Translator' s  Preface 5 

Author's  Preface 7 

BOOK  I 

i    Sonnet :  Wisdom  and  the  Fear  of  the  Lord 13 

ii    A  Maxim  ("  Unjust  wrath  ") 15 

iii    A  Maxim  ("  A  parable  of  knowledge  ") 15 

iv    A  Maxim  ("  Disobey  not  the  fear  ") 16 

V    A  Maxim  ("  My  son,  if  thou  comest ") 16 

vi    Sonnet :  True  and  False  Fear 17 

vii    Essay :  Honour  to  Parents 18 

viii    Essay :  On  Meekness 20 

ix-xi    Unit  Proverbs 20 

xii    Essay:  Consideration  for  High  and  Low 21 

xiii     Essay :  Wisdom's  Way  with  her  Children 22 

xiv     Essay :  True  and  False  Shame 23 

xv-xviii    Unit  Proverbs 23 

xix     An  Epigram  ("  Follow  not  thine  own  mind  ") 24 

XX    A  Maxim  ("  Say  not,  I  sinned  ") 24 

xxi     Proverb  Cluster :  Government  of  the  Tongue 25 

xxii    Maxim :  Self  Will 26 

xxiii    Essay :  Friendship 27 

xxiv     Essay  :  The  Pursuit  of  Wisdom    28 

203 


■^  General    Index 

Page 

XXV    Epigram :  Sowing  and  Reaping 29 

xxvi    A  Maxim  ("  Seek  not  of  the  Lord  ") 30 

xxvii-xxxviii    Unit  Proverbs 30 

xxxix    Essay:  Household  Precepts 32 

xl    Essay:  Adaptation  of  Behaviour  to  Various  Sorts  of  Men  33 

xli    Essay :  Wisdom  and  Government 36 

xlii    Essay :  Pride  and  True  Greatness 37 

xliii     Proverb  Cluster :  On  Meddlesomeness 40 

xliv    Essay:  Prosperity  and  Adversity  are  from  the  Lord 40 

xlv    Essay :  Choice  of  Company 42 

xlvi,  xlvii    Unit  Proverbs 46 

xlviii    An  Epigram  ("  Blessed  is  the  man  ") 46 

xlix    Essay :  Niggardliness 46 

1    Essay  :  The  Pursuer  of  Wisdom  and  His  Reward 48 

li    Essay :  On  Free  Will 49 

lii     Essay :  No  Safety  for  Sinners 50 

liii    Essay :  God's  Work  of  Creation  and  Restoration 52 

liv    Proverb  Cluster :  On  Graciousness 55 

Iv    Essay :  On  Taking  Heed  in  Time 56 

Ivi,  Ivii    Unit  Proverbs 57 

Iviii     Three  Temperance  Maxims 57 

hx    Essay :  Against  Gossip 58 

Ix    Essay :  Wisdom  and  its  Counterfeits 59 

Ixi    A  Maxim  ("  The  gift  of  a  fool ") 6i 

Ixii    An  Epigram  ("  The  fool  will  say  ") 62 

Ixiii-lxviii     Unit  Proverbs 62 

Ixix    A  Maxim  ("  A  lie  is  a  foul  blot ") 63 

Ixx-lxxii    Unit  Proverbs 63 

Ixxiii    An  Epigram  ("  Wisdom  that  is  hid  ") 64 

Ixxiv    Proverb  Cluster :  Sin  and  its  Judgement 64 

204 


General    Index  d^ 

Pa^e 

bcxv     Proverb  Cluster :  Wise  Men  and  Fools 66 

Ixxvi     Proverb  Cluster  :  The  Hatefulness  of  Evil 68 

Ixxvli     Proverb  Cluster  :  Commerce  with  Fools  Intolerable. .. .  69 

Ixxviii     Essay :  The  Stedfast  Friend  and  the  Uncertain 71 

Ixxix     Sonnet :  Watchfulness  of  Lips  and  Heart 72 

Ixxx    Essay  :  The  Discipline  of  the  Mouth 73 

Ixxxi    Essay :  The  Horror  of  Adultery 74 


BOOK  II 

Preface  {with  Monologue') 79 

i    Number  Sonnet :  What  Wisdom  Hates  and  Loves 83 

ii    A  Maxim  ("  In  thy  youth  ") 83 

iii    Number  Sonnet :  The  Love  of  the  Lord 84 

iv    Epigram  :  The  Wrath  of  an  Enemy 85 

V    Wisdom  Cluster :  Women  Bad  and  Good 85 

vi    Sonnet :  Women  Bad  and  Good 87 

vii    Number  Sonnet :  The  BacksUder 89 

viii    A  Maxim  ("  A  merchant ") 89 

ix    Unit  Proverb 89 

X    Epigram  :  Reasoning  the  Test  of  Men 90 

xi-xiii    Unit  Proverbs 90 

xiv  Proverb  Cluster:  Discourse  of  Wise  Men  and  Fools. ..  91 

XV    A  Maxim  ("  He  that  revealeth  secrets  ") 92 

xvi     A  Maxim  ("  One  that  winketh  ") 92 

xvii     Essay :  Retribution  and  Vengeance 93 

xviii    Essay :  On  the  Tongue 94 

xix     Essay  :  On  Lending  and  Suretiship 96 

XX    Essay :  The  Blessing  of  a  House  of  One's  Own 98 

xxi    Essay :  On  the  Chastisement  of  Children 99 

205 


-^  General    Index 

xxii    Essay :  On  Health icxs 

xxiii     Essay :  On  Riches loi 

xxiv     Essay  :  On  Feasting 102 

XXV,  xxvi    Unit  Proverbs 105 

xxvii     An  Epigram  ("  They  that  fear  the  Lord  ") 105 

xxviii    A  Maxim  ("  A  man  of  counsel ") 106 

xxix     Unit  Proverb 106 

XXX    An  Epigram  ("  Go  not  in  a  way  ") 106 

xxxi-xxxviii     Unit  Proverbs 106 

xxxix    Essay :  An  Analogy 108 


BOOIC  III 

Preface 1 13 

i    Essay :  On  Giving  and  Bequeathing 115 

ii    Essay :  On  Servants 115 

iii    Essay :  On  Dreams 116 

iv    A  Maxim  ("  A  well-instructed  man  ") 117 

V    Sonnet :  The  Fearers  of  the  Lord 118 

vi     Essay  :  On  Sacrifices,  Evil  and  Acceptable 119 

vii     A  Prayer  for  Mercy  upon  Israel 121 

viii    An  Epigram  ("  The  belly  will  eat ") 123 

ix     Unit  Proverb 123 

X    Essay :  On  Wives 123 

xi     Essay :  On  False  Friends 124 

xii    Essay :  On  Counsel  and  Counsellors 125 

xiii    Essay  :  On  Disease  and  Physicians 127 

xiv    Essay :  On  Mourning  for  the  Dead 128 

XV  Essay:  The  Wisdom  of  Business  and  the  Wisdom  of 

Leisure 129 

206 


General    Index  8^ 

BOOK  IV 

Page 

Preface  with  Encomium  on  the  Works  of  the  Lord 135 

i    Essay :  The  Burden  of  Life 137 

ii    A  Pair  of  Sonnets :  A  Garden  of  Blessing 138 

iii    A  Maxim  ("  My  son,  lead  not ") 140 

iv     Sonnet :  On  Death 141 

V    Essay:  The  Posterity  of  Sinners 142 

vi    Essay :  Things  to  be  ashamed  of 143 

vii    Essay :  Women  as  a  Source  of  Trouble 145 

BOOK  V 

Longer  Works 

i    Rhetoric  Encomium :  The  Works  of  the  Lord 149 

ii    Rhetoric  Encomium :  Praise  of  Famous  Men 152 

Epilogue 168 

207 


In  small  i8mo  volumes.    Cloth  extra.    Price,  50  cents  each. 


The  Modern  Reader's  Bible 

A  Series  of  Books  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures  pre- 
sented in  Modern  Literary  Form 

The  purpose  of  this  Series  has  regard  to  the  Bible  as  part  of  the 
World's  Literature,  without  reference  to  questions  of  religious  or 
historic  criticism. 

It  is  based  upon  the  belief  that  the  natural  interest  of  Sacred 
Literature  is  considerably  impaired  by  the  form  in  which  the  Bible 
is  usually  read.  The  division  into  chapters  and  verses  was  made 
at  a  time  when  the  literary  significance  of  Scripture  was  not  much 
considered.  Moreover,  the  proper  arrangement  of  the  printed  page, 
which  to  a  modern  reader  has  by  familiarity  become  essential,  and 
which  is  adopted  as  a  matter  of  course  in  a  modern  edition  of  a 
Greek  or  Roman  classic,  has  never  been  applied  to  our  Bibles. 
Such  arrangement  includes  the  distinction  between  prose  and  verse ; 
in  verse  passages  the  indication  to  the  eye  of  different  metrical 
forms;  the  insertion  of  the  names  of  speakers  in  dialogue;  the 
assignment  of  titles  to  such  compositions  as  Discourses  and  Essays. 
It  may  be  added  that  the  inclusion  of  many  diverse  kinds  of  litera- 
ture in  a  single  volume  is  unfavourable  to  the  due  appreciation  of 
each. 

Each  number  of  the  Series  will  be  issued  as  a  separate  volume, 
edited,  with  an  introduction,  by 

RICHARD  G.   MOULTON, 

M.A.  (Camb.),  Ph.D.  (Penn.), 
Professor  of  Literature  in  Ejtglish  in  the  University  of  Chicago. 

The  Introductions  will  be  confined  strictly  to  the  consideration  of 
the  book  as  a  piece  of  literature  ;  what  little  is  added  in  the  way  of 
annotation  will  be  of  the  same  kind.  The  text  will  be  that  of  the 
Revised  Version,  the  marginal  readings  being  usually  preferred. 


The  order  in  which  it  is  proposed  to  issue  the  volumes 
is  as  follows : 

WISDOM  SERIES 

IN   FOUR  VOLUMES 

THE  PROVERBS 

A  Miscellany  of  Sayings  and  Poems  embodying  Isolated  Obser- 
vations of  Life.  Ready 

ECCLESIASTICUS 

A  Miscellany  including  longer  compositions,  still  embodying 
only  Isolated  Observations  of  Life.  Ready 

ECCLESIASTES  — WISDOn  OF  SOLOflON 

Each  is  a  Series  of  Connected  Writings  embodying,  from  dif- 
ferent standpoints,  a  Solution  of  the  Whole  Mystery  of  Life. 

Ready 
THE  BOOK  OF  JOB 

A  Dramatic  Poem  in  which  are  embodied  Varying  Solutions  of 
the  Mystery  of  Life.  April 


DEUTERONOnV 

The  Orations  and  Songs  of  Moses,  constituting  his  Farewell  to 
the  People  of  Israel.  May 

BIBLICAL  IDYLS 

The  Lyric  Idyl  of  Solomon's  Song,  and  the  Epic  Idyls  of  Ruth, 
Esther,  and  Tobit.  June 


HISTORY  SERIES 

QENESIS  '"  "'^^  ^°^™^^ 

Bible  History,  Part  I :  Formation  of  the  Chosen  Nation.    July 


THE  EXODUS 

Bible  History,  Part  II :  Migration  of  the  Chosen  Nation  to  the 
Land  of  Promise.  —  Book  of  Exodus  with  Leviticus  and  Num- 
bers. August 

THE  JUDGES 

Bible  History,  Part  III:  The  Chosen  Nation  in  its  Efforts 
towards  Secular  Government.  —  Books  of  Joshua,  Judges, 
I  Samuel.  Septetnber 

THE  KINGS 

Bible  History,  Part  IV :  The  Chosen  Nation  under  a  Secular 
Government  side  by  side  with  a  Theocracy. —  Books  of  II 
Samuel,  I  and  II  Kings.  October 

THE  CHRONICLES 

Ecclesiastical  History  of  the  Chosen  Nation.  Books  ot  Chron- 
icles, Ezra,  Nehemiah.  November 


PROPHECY  SERIES 

IN   FOUR  VOLUMES 

ISAIAH December 

JEREMIAH January 

EZEKIEL February 

THE  niNOR   PROPHETS      ....  March 


MACMILLAN    &   CO,   Publishers, 

ee   FIFTH   AVENUE,  NEW  YORK. 


Q 


